A Day In The Life
by FLUFF-N-UTTER-1
Summary: Random snippets (covering time from 6.5 through 35.5), Abby and Connor centric, but will include other characters, creatures, clones and anomalies as needed. Angst warning for last three chapters. Last chapter references canon character death.
1. Married

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N - takes place directly after It Just Had To Be Said. **

6.5-2 Married

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester had promised them the whole weekend off.

It wasn't much time off, and certainly not enough time for proper honeymoon, but as shorthanded as the ARC was, that was all Lester could do. Abby and Connor hadn't expected him to provide them a room at the luxury hotel adjacent to the reception hall for the wedding night.

That was a very welcome surprise.

Otherwise, they would have spent the wedding night at home. And although they both loved their home, Connor's Mum and little sister had come up to London for the wedding and were staying there for a few days. And when Jack's mate had abruptly kicked him out, Jack had come asking to kip on their sofa… he probably would have asked for the spare bedroom or the cot in the study, but they were already taken and Connor's Mum was glaring at him. It all worked out though. And Jack's staying at Abby and Connor's home had made it easier for Becker to keep track of him.

Connor had spent the night before the wedding on a cot in his lab. The ladies in his life had insisted that he couldn't see the bride on the day of the wedding until the actual wedding. Despite all his spluttering about how it didn't make any sense, they were living together, Connor found himself back at the ARC.

So, yes, the Lester's gift, a luxury room with a king size bed and jacuzzi and above all privacy, was very much appreciated, but check out time was at one o'clock.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby and Connor stopped by the hospital where Jenny and Michael had gone after the wedding. Jenny was sleeping the nurse explained; they should come back another time. However, they ran into Michael as they were heading out of the hospital doors. He was grinning from ear to ear, carrying a box of cigars and several blue balloons. He pressed cigars on both Abby and Connor.

"But I don't smoke," protested Connor.

"Neither do I," said Michael "these are chocolate cigars."

He had taken them over to the nursery where they got to see the baby.

"James Daniel Miller," announced Michael proudly, and he then insisted they take the baby and all go to see Jenny. "She wouldn't want to miss you."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby and Connor arrived home after their visit with Jenny and Michael in time to see Jack carrying out bags of rubbish to the outside bins. Connor's mother was standing on the top step by their front door with her arms crossed, tapping her foot, watching him.

Abby snorted. "I don't think Jack has ever taken out the rubbish before," she whispered into Connor's ear.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

When Abby and Connor stepped inside their home, they saw luggage piled by the door. Connor's Mum and little sister were packed and ready to go to the train station. And when Becker arrived in the ARCs huge black SUV to take them to the train, he also took Jack.

Jack was going to kip on Becker's sofa. Connor didn't think either Becker or Jack was going to like that. He felt sorry for both of them.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

And when Abby and Connor were finally alone, they shared a glance, nodded in agreement, and then called Matt.

Matt and Emily hadn't been at Abby and Connor's wedding. And they both wanted to know why.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Connor," said Matt "we'll talk about it at the briefing on Monday."

"But,"

"Really," added Matt "you're in the research department now… you don't need to worry about field expeditions."

"But,"

"Besides, don't you have something better to do?" Matt asked as he hung up the phone.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

And of course, Abby and Connor had lots of better things to do.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

They were late to work on Monday.


	2. Broken Things

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

6.8 Broken things

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby poked her head into Connor's lab. It was almost time for lunch, and she hoped he would be ready to take a break.

Connor was standing on one foot, leaning sideways against a dry erase board, scribbling something totally incomprehensible. She narrowed her eyes, starting to frown.

"Connor," she called.

His turned his head to look at her. The smile that had started to spread across his face at the sound of her voice froze when he saw the expression on her face.

"What have I done?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Where are your crutches Connor," Abby asked.

"Over there," he answered pointing at the desk on the other side of the room.

She stalked over towards the desk, muttering about broken ankles and surgery, pins and not supposed to put any weight on your foot, and then she stopped abruptly. She looked at the pictures on the desk and the broken anomaly opening device they had brought back with them from the cretaceous. Abby looked up at Connor.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Research," Connor answered with a short bitter laugh "it's what I'm supposed to be doing. Remember?"

Abby remembered. She remembered the last time Connor had gone out in the field, the didelphodons, Connor falling, a trip to the hospital and ankle surgery. And she remembered Lester, worried she was sure, but trying not to show it.

_Lester had stopped by the hospital when Connor was finally in his own room, and allowed to have visitors. Abby had arrived just in time to hear the last of Lester's tirade. "You're supposed to be in the lab now! Don't you understand this work is dangerous?"_

_Abby had heard Connor's response too. "Not doing this work is more dangerous!" _

Connor was on the mend now. Only two more weeks in the cast with crutches, then the large protective cast would be replaced with a smaller walking cast and he could start physical therapy. But the warning letter Lester had written up and placed in his permanent file still rankled.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby looked at the pictures on the desk. They were old security photos of Cutter's lab. There were several pictures of the contraption that the professor and Sarah had been putting together, arcs of wires, clipped together, interlocking. There was even one picture of the cylinder Connor and Sarah had been trying to decipher. That picture showed a blurry arc of swirling lights above them. It almost looked like the anomaly model that Cutter had been developing.

"I can see you're doing research," Abby said slowly as she moved the pictures on the desk.

Some of the other pictures had Cutter and Sarah in them. For a moment, her eyes clouded with tears. She moved her hand past the pictures to pick up the broken anomaly opening device. Then Abby blinked to clear her eyes and looked back at Connor.

"Just what kind of research?" she asked.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Yes," echoed Lester "what kind of research are you doing Connor? We don't want another one of Philip's infernal machines opening anomalies."

Connor flushed. "That's not one of Philip's machine's," he said heatedly "it's Helen's anomaly opening device."

"Oh, that's just so much better now," said Lester sarcastically.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"It's not like the machine I worked on with Philip… that machine created a new man made anomaly," Connor explained "Helen's machine finds existing anomalies… natural anomalies… and then opens them."

Lester crossed his arms and frowned at Connor's words. "I'm not quite sure the difference…"

Abby interrupted "Connor, why are you trying to open an anomaly?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"I'm not trying to open an anomaly!" he exclaimed "I'm trying to find a way to predict them… like Cutter did… when he predicted the anomaly at that old house…"

Connor pointed at the pictures on the desk. "There's a pattern there," Connor said "I'm sure of it."

Connor had said something similar, Abby remembered, at that future ARC when Helen had placed the cylinder in the machine. The arcs of light had looked like Cutter's model for a moment.

"I'm trying to figure out the pattern," said Connor.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Predicting anomalies would be very useful," said Lester. "But Cutter's model only made one correct prediction."

"Cutter's model only made one prediction," agreed Connor "which is why I'm reviewing the pictures... trying to recreate…"

"No," interrupted Lester "Cutter's model led him to make several predictions… the first, which you know about, was correct. The second prediction was incorrect."

"What?"

"There was a second prediction?" asked Connor "What was it?"

"An anomaly in Hyde Park was supposed to open three days after the two of you and Danny had disappeared through the race track anomaly," said Lester gruffly. "I remember it because I had a team stationed there waiting… hoping… it was going to bring you all back from whenever you had disappeared to. Bloody waste of tax payer money."

Connor chuckled. "Would have been nice to come home after only three days in the cretaceous, right Abs?"

She nodded in agreement, but noticed that Lester looked a little strange at Connor's comment.

"Carry on with your research Connor," said Lester as he turned to leave the lab "but do try not to destroy the world."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor leaned back against the wall. His shoulders slumped.

"If Cutter's model is incorrect," said Connor looking at the photos in dismay "then I'll have to start all over."

"You'll find the pattern," said Abby reassuringly as she placed the broken anomaly opening device back down on the photos.

"Dunno…" replied Connor "I've tried several mathematical functions… but so far all I've done is rule out things… haven't found anything that works."

"Yet," said Abby. She picked up the crutches and walked towards him. She looked up at him and handed him the crutches. "You haven't found anything that works yet."

A small smile started to spread across his face. "Glad you believe in me," he said as he leaned down to meet her lips with his.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester walked quickly down the hall.

He was going to have a word with his wife about predictions and changes to the time lines. And then, he needed to pull the old files. Cutter had made three predictions.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Connor," said Abby when they broke apart, "Let's take a break… have some lunch. Yeah?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	3. Travel on Occasion

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

6.11 Travel On Occasion

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor's suitcase was packed and sitting next to the front door. His passport and plane tickets were setting on the table nearby. He was ready to go. The cab was outside waiting.

The International ARCs plan to loan him out to other ARC offices had been delayed first by a wedding, and then by a broken ankle. But the need for greater standardization between ARC offices was becoming more and more apparent. Anomalies were opening all over the planet, and there was no uniform way to measure them and sometimes no way to close them.

"Abby," Connor said looking down miserably "I don't…"

"Ssh," Abby said stepping forward to wrap her arms around him. "It's only for a week… the Canadian office needs you."

"Yeah, right" scoffed Connor "to fine tune existing technology, coordinate the development of new equipment..."

"Connor," said Abby softly "you have to go."

"But…"

She reached a small hand up behind his head to bring it down closer to her. Their lips met in a tender kiss.

"They need you. So stop messing around," said Abby "and go help them…"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby leaned on the door frame as she waved goodbye to Connor. She stayed there waving until the cab turned the corner. Then she stepped back inside their home and closed the door.

Only then did the tears start.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Both Abby and Connor agreed that webcams were one of the best inventions ever.

"It's beautiful here Abby," said Connor excitedly "we were able to contain all the hesperornis that came through the anomaly, and they didn't damage the fountain… you'd love to see it… La Joute has animals carved on it and the fountain changes from water to fire…"

Abby smiled at his rambling. "It sounds lovely Connor."

"Maybe you can join me," said Connor "we can have that honeymoon we've been talking about… yeah."

"I thought you were coming back tomorrow," said Abby.

"Mrs. Lester agreed that I should stay another week," sighed Connor. "Ask Lester, yeah… see if you can join me here… the Montreal ARC needs a creature expert out here more than they need a computer geek."

"Connor! You are not a computer geek," teased Abby with a chuckle "you are the foremost expert on anomalies on the planet."

"Yeah, right…" sighed Connor "miss you… need you… I love you."

"Me too," whispered Abby as she shut the laptop.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

When Abby saw Lester the next day, she didn't get a chance to ask him if the budget could afford to send a creature expert over to help the foremost expert on anomalies on the planet with a few pesky hesperornis.

"Abby," said Lester as she entered the ARCs hub "a word in my office please."

She followed him into his office and watched as he crossed the room to put himself on the far side of the desk. She wondered what he had to say that he couldn't say outside in the main room.

"Abby, there's been a change in plans," Lester began.

"Yeah, Connor told me," she replied "you want him to stay in Montreal another week."

"Not exactly," said Lester "that was yesterday's plan… now we are sending him to Vancouver."

Abby stared at Lester. He wasn't meeting her gaze. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"For how long?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	4. Movie Night

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

6.11 Movie Night

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor had been exhausted from his work in Montreal and Vancouver… it seemed like no one had informed the Canadian ARC that Connor was supposed to be research only now.

Aside from updating their equipment, and showing the tech assistant what data needed to be measured and recorded, Connor had also been out on anomaly calls. Granted he was supposed to be overseeing the new team on how to secure and lock an anomaly, but when a creature comes right at you…

He slept most of the plane ride back to London. And Abby was there to pick him up at the airport arrivals Sunday night. Connor smiled at the memory.

Between jet lag and general lack of sleep, Connor felt like a zombie all day Monday. The meetings at the ARC had been a blur. Tuesday hadn't been any better. Debriefing meetings about the Montreal and Vancouver ARC teams, planning meetings regarding the new teams starting up in Bruges and Shanghai, and Lester's snarky comment… oh and do try to catch up on your work… The week had gone by quickly.

Tonight though was movie night. It was Connor's turn to pick the show. His hand hovered over the latest science fiction apocalyptic film, but then someone hurriedly shoved a DVD box in the empty slot next to the film. The romance drama certainly didn't belong in this section of the store, and Connor had seen it before. As a matter of fact, he had seen it twice before… with Abby. She liked that film, it was one of her favorites. And, he thought, they hadn't seen it since before they went to the cretaceous.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor stepped out of the movie shop and almost bumped into Abby. Her blue eyes lit up to see him, and he leaned down to give her a quick kiss. Okay, so it wasn't quick, and they might still be standing there blocking the entryway if the next person trying to get into the movie shop hadn't got impatient.

"Are you coming up for air anytime soon?" the man chuckled.

"Oh, sorry…" They had both flushed, but then they had stepped aside.

"Ready," asked Abby "to go home?"

"Yeah," said Connor as he started to walk beside her "Smells good. What have you got in the bag?"

As they strolled back to their flat, he put his arm across her shoulder pulling her closer. Abby chattered about the contents of the bag she was carrying. Neither one wanted to cook tonight, so they had food from their favorite take away shop, garlic naan and chicken biryani for two.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Dinner conversation turned to work all too quickly.

"I can't believe the Lester's are sending you away again," complained Abby "you've only just got back."

"It'll be shorter this time," replied Connor "Bruges is not so far away."

Abby looked across the table at him, her blue eyes filling with tears, chin trembling. "It's just…" she started "When you're gone, I miss…"

"I miss you too," said Connor softly. "But you know I love you… no matter where I am… right?"

"Yeah," said Abby as she forked another bite of chicken and put it in her mouth.

"I'll be back in time for Beth's graduation," continued Connor "told Lester we both needed the weekend off, no interruptions… can't miss me little sister's graduation."

Abby swallowed the food in her mouth. "Yeah," she said again. And she was going to have a word with Lester tomorrow. Abby wanted more than just the weekend off.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

By the end of the movie Abby was sniffling, her head on Connor's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"I can't believe I'm being such a soppy… it's just so sad," she whispered "they loved each other so much and now they're apart… forever."

"Their love will keep them together," replied Connor "… forever."

"No," she objected raising her head and turning to face him. Then she asked "Do you really believe that?

Connor knew the movie "A Walk To Remember" always got Abby weepy and brought her into his arms, but this was the first time she had ever talked about why it made her sad.

"Yeah Abby," said Connor softly "and I will admit that I've thought I found love before… but not until I met you… did I really understand…" He paused for a moment, then continued "True love never dies."

Their lips met for a soft, slow kiss. And as the film credits ran past, they parted once again. And Abby leaned her head against Connor's chest. She loved to listen to his heart beat.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	5. The Ichthyornis

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

A/N – takes place after Graduation chapter 7

7.2 The Ichthyornis

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Wednesday morning, Abby and Connor stopped for cappuccino on their way into the ARC. They were the last ones to arrive at the morning briefing in Lester's office.

Lester narrowed his eyes as they entered the room. "Nice of you to show up," he harrumphed.

Abby narrowed her eyes and pointedly looked at her wristwatch. She replied "We're not late."

Connor held up the box he was carrying. "We brought muffins."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

There had been multiple anomalies yesterday, taxing the ARC's already strained resources. In between bites of muffins, Matt started to give his briefing. He began with a comment that they were short handed again since two of the epsilon team were in the hospital after yesterday's incursion.

"What?" asked Abby in surprise "they're in the hospital because of seagulls?"

Matt and Becker turned to stare at Connor.

"What did you tell her mate," asked Matt.

"It was a flock of ichthyornis…," replied Connor "and they are like seagulls… only bigger… with teeth…"

"Connor," asked Abby "what didn't you tell me?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Most of the flock of ichthyornis had been captured and were now in the menagerie. They were sealed in a separate containment unit as the creatures were incredibly aggressive.

Fiona, the Delta field coordinator had sent the four member epsilon team, along with Connor to man the anomaly locking device, to a private docking area on the Thames. The anomaly was hovering over the surface of the river.

"So we went out on the dock," said Connor "set up the anomaly locking device… it had been quiet... no sign of an incursion… I was all set to lock it… when they came diving down at us… it was like that old horror movie…"

"What movie Connor," asked Abby.

"The Birds," replied Connor as if that were obvious.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"They knocked the device over, I couldn't lock it," continued Connor "and then they started attacking the team… we jumped into the Thames then… to get away."

"But Connor," said Abby "seagulls are water birds… they dive."

"Yeah Abby," said Connor closing his eyes at the memory "I know… but they were between us and the SUV… and we couldn't stay on the dock."

Becker added "Alpha team and I got there as quickly as possible, but if it weren't for that bystander… things would have been much worse."

"Bystander? What bystander?" asked Lester "Where is he?"

"I dunno," said Connor "I didn't see anybody… was too busy trying to swim."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

A man with an oar had been battling the ichthyornis when Becker and his team arrived. He had kept the ichthyornis from getting any closer to the two injured men. The two men, Jenkins and Haywood, now in the hospital, had been facing the ichthyornis when the creatures attacked and bore the brunt of the assault. Connor and the other two members of epsilon team had been lucky to get away with only a soaking.

Hendricks had brought out the Alpha team's anomaly locking device and closed the anomaly, while Stephenson and the others started stunning the creatures with their EMDs.

"And where is this bystander," asked Lester again sounding a bit impatient.

"I sent him in the ambulance with Jenkins and Haywood," said Becker "we were still trying to get Connor and the others back to shore."

Becker added "I stopped by the hospital before I came in this morning, he hasn't said a word yet… but the doctor says there is nothing wrong with him… and he doesn't have ID."

Becker pointed the remote at the monitor and clicked. A picture of a man with brown hair and a vacant expression on his face filled the screen.

Abby and Connor looked at each other in surprise, while Lester exclaimed "Stephen."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	6. Stephens

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N – takes place after Better Things To Do. Should you wish to read additional information regarding Stephen clones, please see Silver Anniversary ch 11 and 24. **

7.7 Stephen

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

It was after two in the morning when the phone rang. Abby's hand reached out from beneath the bedcovers to fumble on the night stand. She picked up the phone and brought it to her ear without opening her eyes.

"Yeah," she said sleepily. The voice on the other end spoke.

"Becker," asked Abby "what are you doing at the ARC… it's the middle of the night… isn't Charlie team supposed to be on call tonight?" The voice spoke again.

She sat up straight in the bed, shoving the lump underneath the bedcovers that was Connor.

"Ow," he said "wha…"

"Get up," Abby hissed. "We've got to go in to work."

"Why?" Connor asked as he rolled over to look at her.

"That was Becker," she answered "Charlie team found another Stephen clone… they brought him in to the ARC."

"So… what's that make now… six or seven?"

"This one's different," replied Abby "he talks."

Connor quickly sat up and started dressing.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The newest Stephen clone talked, a little. But he wasn't their friend Stephen.

Abby put him to work in the menagerie with some of the other Stephen clones, he really liked the creatures.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	7. The Holiday Party

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

8.1 The Holiday Party

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Some guests were mingling around the punch bowl at the Lester's annual holiday party. Others were hanging out at the buffet table. Still others were wandering around the rooms and some were even outside on the garden patio. Abby was leaning against the wall, searching the room. Where was Connor?

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby wasn't drinking, they were trying to get pregnant after all. But she had enjoyed the small plate of tasty treats from the buffet table. When she had mentioned that the crab rangoon was especially good, Connor had got a small smile on his face.

"Are you craving the crab rangoon?" he'd asked "I'll be glad to get you some more."

Abby had dashed his hopes when she told him what the doctor had said during her physical earlier that day.

"I'm not pregnant Connor," she told him "another false alarm, but I would like some more of the crab rangoon if you don't mind."

Connor had left her to get some more of the tasty hors d'oeuvres, but she couldn't see him at the buffet table. He should have been back by now.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Abby," hissed Jenny from across the room.

"What?" asked Abby.

"Need you to come outside," answered Jenny gesturing at the door to the garden patio "Connor's a bit pissed… he's arguing with Lester."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby stepped outside into the chill December air in time to hear Connor's words to Lester.

"I won't go," said Connor slurring his words "ish too much travel."

"Has Connor been drinking?" Abby asked Jenny.

Jenny pointed to the patio table. An open decanter of whisky and a pair of tumblers answered Abby's question. "They both have been drinking," said Jenny.

Abby shivered. She didn't like dealing with men who had been drinking, but this was Connor and Lester. She knew they would never hurt her. She stepped forward to wrap her arms around Connor's waist.

"Connor," she asked "what's the matter?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Abby," said Connor his face turning towards her, a smile starting across his face. "I'm so glad to be back… Buenos Aires was nice, but you weren't there… missed you Abby."

"I missed you too Connor," replied Abby as she felt his body sway against her.

Had Connor eaten any of the hors d'oeuvres she wondered. They had come directly from the airport to the party. Connor was jet lagged and hungry, but wanted to see all their friends for just a bit before they went home. He didn't drink often.

"How much have you had to drink Connor," she asked him.

Surprisingly, it was Mrs. Lester who answered.

"They've only had one glass each," she said with a stern look at her husband "but it appears to have been quite enough."

The woman reached a hand down to the table. Long slender fingers picked up the stopper and slid it into the decanter. "There's a guest room next to the library," Mrs Lester suggested "maybe he would feel better with a bit of a lie down before dinner."

"I'm not going Lester," said Connor belligerently. "Sydney ish too far…"

"Sydney?" exclaimed Abby turning to look at James Lester "He's only just got back to London, surely the International ARC can do without him for a bit!"

"Really Abby," said Lester with a tone as if he was explaining something to a child "policy decisions are not your…"

"We're trying to have a baby," said Abby "it would be nice if my husband was home some… yeah."

Mrs. Lester turned her head at Abby's words. "What?"

"Been trying for a year now," continued Abby angrily "do you have any idea how often the bloody International ARC has sent him out of the country?"

Connor swayed against Abby's side. "Abby," he asked, his brown eyes worried, "are you angry?"

"Yeah Connor," she said glaring at the Lesters, "but not at you."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"James," said Mrs. Lester quietly "I'm sure the team from Sydney can wait. Don't you agree?"

Lester didn't seem to agree. And Mrs. Lester didn't seem to think that was the proper response. Future generations and the International ARC all seemed to need something from Connor, but Abby wasn't interested in hearing about it tonight. She turned to Jenny.

"Where's the guest room," Abby asked.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor's eyes closed as soon as his head hit the pillow. Abby started to untie his boots.

"Do you need a hand," asked Jenny from where she stood leaning against the doorway. Abby shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she answered with a smile.

Jenny said, "I've never seen Connor drunk."

"Well," huffed Abby as she pulled the first boot off Connor's foot, "whisky on an empty stomach… and he was already tired… we should have just gone home… I've only seen him like this once before…"

"Really," said Jenny "when?"

"Oh, years ago," replied Abby as she started to untie the second boot "when he was dating Caroline… she brought him home from the theater once… totally pissed."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Excuse me," said a small voice.

Jenny hurriedly stepped forward into the room, turning to see the person speaking. A young girl stood holding a plate of sandwiches. It was the Lester's youngest daughter.

"Mum thought you might like something to eat," she said.

Mrs. Lester appeared behind her daughter, "And you should stay the night," she said "get some rest... go home in the morning." The woman put her hand on her daughter's shoulder and smiled gently. Then she looked at Abby again.

"Work shouldn't interfere with your family," she said.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	8. After The Holiday Party

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

8.1-2 After The Holiday Party

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor woke up in the middle of the night. He sat up. His head was pounding, his mouth was dry, his teeth felt fuzzy. He looked around the darkened bedroom. The unfamiliar darkened bedroom he realized. Where was he?

He heard the light sound of breathing next to him. He froze. Then he rolled his eyes carefully in the direction of the sound. There was someone under the covers in the bed next to him.

Oh my God! What have I done?

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

He took a deep breath and lifted the edge of the covers surrounding the person beside him.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Conn," the sleeping form on the bed rose up to call him. "Whatcha doing?"

"Abby," breathed Connor in relief. "Where are we?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"We're at the Lester's," she replied. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him critically. "You got drunk." She turned on the bedside lamp and squinted at him in the bright light.

"You look like you're still drunk," she added.

"'m sorry Abs," said Connor "don't know exactly how that happened."

She frowned at him and crossed her arms.

"You know exactly how that happens," said Abby.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Come on," she said pointing at the night stand "there's some sandwiches for you… you need to eat something."

They talked in between bites of sandwiches. Abby told Connor he didn't have to go to Australia.

"Did I yell at Lester?" asked Connor.

"Yeah," chuckled Abby "but don't worry… you weren't the only one that yelled at him tonight."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	9. Start of Something

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N after Graduation chapter 8**

8.6 The Start of Something

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker was driving the huge black SUV. Connor was sitting in the passenger seat reading through reports. They were coming back from the newly opened Edinburgh ARC, and had a brief detour scheduled for the Forest of Dean Outpost.

Connor sighed. He was tired and he would love to set the documents to one side and curl up in the back seat to sleep until Becker got them home, but that wouldn't be fair to Becker. And he needed to finish reading these case reports.

Jess's voice crackled over the comms. "What's your ETA to the Forest of Dean Outpost?"

Becker gave a quick glance at the satnav. "About a half hour," he replied.

"Can you make it quicker?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The security detail stationed at the Forest of Dean Outpost had notified the London branch of the ARC that the Permian anomaly had reopened. The team at the outpost was readying the anomaly locking device, but there was an unexpected problem. Power surged, something sparked, the anomaly locking device appeared to have shorted out.

The cadet reporting the situation to Jess wasn't worried at first. The anomaly still seemed quiet, it was just shimmering. But then there were sounds… it sounded like a stampede. Then Jess had heard shouts, followed by screams. Then silence.

Lester was sending in the Bravo team via helicopter, but they wouldn't be there for another forty minutes.

Becker floored the accelerator, while Connor set the documents to one side and reached into the backseat for the EMDs.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Jess," Connor spoke into the comm. Looking at the carnage in front of him, he closed his eyes for a moment and said "We won't need any ambulances…" The three men at the outpost were dead.

Dimetrodons were everywhere. It looked as if several of the creatures had come through the anomaly trampling everything in their path. The inner perimeter fence around the anomaly site had been breached. The guard shack was flattened. The creatures were now moving restlessly between the inner fence and the outer electrified fence.

Parts of the outer perimeter fence appeared to be bowed outward as if the creatures had run into the fence headlong, but at least the fence had held. Becker and Connor tried their best to keep the creatures away from the perimeter until the Bravo team arrived.

The security team fired blasts from their EMDs. They were trying to herd the dimetrodons back towards the open anomaly, but the creatures seemed resistant to the idea of returning to their own time.

"It's almost as if there's something frightening them," said Becker. "They don't want to go back."

"Yeah, it's probably safer here," replied Connor. At Becker's puzzled expression, he added "There are lots of scary things back in the Permian… plus, that's where the first future predators came through."

"The race track anomaly has been closed since New Dawn," said Becker "and no future predators have been seen since we destroyed Philip's anomaly. That future is gone."

"Yeah," agreed Connor "I'm just saying… if a future predator was visiting the Permian when that future disappeared… it might be stuck there."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Matt and the Charlie team arrived later from Manchester. Together Bravo and Charlie teams had enough manpower and weaponry to force the dimetrodons back through the anomaly. Charlie team's technical specialist locked the anomaly with the device they had brought, while Connor looked at the broken remains of the Forest of Dean Outpost's anomaly locking device.

"Any idea why the equipment failed?" asked Matt.

"I'll have to take it back to London," answered Connor "check it at the lab… can't say yet."

He picked up the pieces of equipment. Carrying an armload of gear towards the SUV, he overheard snatches of Becker and Matt's conversation. The Forest of Dean Outpost was too small to protect this area, it was the most frequently recurring anomaly… a security risk… they needed more than three special forces troops.

Connor started stowing the broken gear in the back of the SUV. He heard a small chirping sound and spun around, brown eyes open wide. He thought that all the dimetrodons had been sent back through the anomaly, but what else had come through?

The chirp came again. Connor knelt down beside the SUV and leaned towards a nearby bush. The sound had come from that direction. It almost sounded sad. Connor pushed a branch back. Huddled at the base of the plant was a coelurosauravus… or at least it looked like Rex thought Connor.

He was taking his jacket off, trying to scoop up the small reptile when he heard Matt and Becker coming up behind him.

"Connor," called Matt "what have you found?"

Connor turned to face them, holding the small creature snuggly in his arms, a smile beaming across his face.

"No Connor," said Becker "we're not bringing anymore pets back to the ARC.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Back at the ARC, Abby examined the creature Connor had brought her from the Forest of Dean.

"It looks like a coelurosauravus," she agreed in response to Connor's question, "but it's different… see the coloring along the frill…"

Rex landed on the counter beside her, tilting his head, he gave a low chirrup.

The new creature twisted loose from Abby's grasp to turn and look at Rex. It gave an answering chirp. Abby stepped back, pushing Connor back with her. They watched the two coelurosauravus introduce themselves to each other.

Abby was grinning. "Conn you were right," she said "it is a coelurosauravus… it's a female."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

At Tuesday's briefing, Lester informed the team that he had secured funding from the minister for a permanent security station and an expanded creature preserve at the Forest of Dean anomaly site. Construction would begin at once.

Abby named the new coelurosauravus Regina.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	10. A New Grocers

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N after To Have Or Have Not and Another Show**

9.1 A New Grocers

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby eyed the romaine lettuce critically before putting it in the shopping cart. The wheel squeaked in protest as she pushed the cart forward. Tomatoes imported from some country with a warmer climate… they looked a little overripe… and overpriced too… no. Carrots, celery and onions… yes. She stopped pushing the cart as Connor came into view.

"They didn't have the big jar," Connor explained as he set three small jars of nutella into the cart. "Anything else you crave?"

"No Connor," she answered with a smile as she rested her hand briefly on her expanding stomach "but we do need milk, would you go pick them up please?" As he turned to head towards the dairy section Abby added "I'll just be the next aisle over."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The squeaking, squealing wheel announced Abby's arrival as she turned into the first canned goods aisle. A tall man, with a body that had once been muscled but was now turning to fat, turned his gaze from the green bean cans to stare at her.

"Abby Maitland," he said "long time no see… what's it been… ten… eleven years now?"

Not long enough was the first thought that crossed Abby's mind. The man continued talking as he approached.

"Might have known you'd get yourself knocked up," he sneered "and no rings… what did the bloke do… run when you told him?"

Abby's fingers had been swelling off and on during her pregnancy and she hadn't worn her rings for the past month. But for this man to make comments like that was just out of line. She started backing the squeaky cart out of the canned goods aisle.

"Now wait a minute Maitland," said the man grabbing the end of her cart, stopping it in the center of the aisle. "Where do you think you're going… we need to catch up now."

A carton of milk thumped into the cart. "It's Temple," said Connor glowering at the man. "Abby... Maitland... Temple," he said ennuciating each name in a steely tone. "Is there something I can help you with?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby stared at the two men.

Connor was several inches shorter than the tall man, but while the taller man had lost whatever looks and physique Abby had once found attractive, Connor had gotten better looking with each passing year. At this moment Connor was staring aggressively at the man. Connor stood with his shoulders thrown back, arms bent at the elbow, looking as if he was ready to pounce on the bigger man.

The tall man looked down at Connor and took an involuntary step backwards. He snorted. "She settled for the likes of you?" he asked incredulously.

"I didn't settle," Abby spoke up indignantly "I chose him… I asked him to marry me."

Abby thought the momentary look of confusion on the tall mans face was entertaining, but the smile that started on Connor's face at her declaration warmed her heart.

Without turning his gaze away from the taller man, Connor asked "Abby, did you wish to speak to this man?"

"No," she replied "the last time I saw him I called the coppers… I think there's still a restraining order…" Her words trailed off and turned into a chuckle as the tall man turned quickly and made a hasty retreat.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

It wasn't until they were outside and loading the groceries into the car that Connor said anything more about the tall man.

"Abby, is there anything you want to tell me about him?"

"Not much to tell Connor," she replied "just an old ex-boyfriend… I told you before, I made a few mistakes before I met you."

"Me too," he chuckled remembering some of their conversations from the cretaceous and even more recently.

"One good thing though," Abby added "I learned how to kick box because of him."

"What? Did he…" Connor turned to look at her with a stricken expression on his face.

"No, he never hurt me…" she interrupted reassuringly "he just liked to make threats."

"Must have been some sort of threats," said Connor "to get the police involved." He was watching her carefully.

Abby shivered. Connor was at her side in an instant, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tight.

"Abby," he whispered "are you all right?"

To run into that particular old boyfriend today after the encounter a few months ago with the strange brunette had shaken her. Abby still found it hard to believe that the woman had followed her and Connor home, stalked them, finally returning with shouts and bricks.

"I'm fine," Abby said "but maybe it's time for a new grocers."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	11. More Travel

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N takes place after Graduation chapters 9-12**

9.3-2 More Travel

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Someone was pounding on the door. Pounding loudly.

Connor sighed and got up from the sofa carefully supporting the little pink bundle in his arms. Patting little Sarah's back every step of the way, Connor walked over to the front door and opened it.

"Lester," he asked in surprise "what are you doing here?"

"Are you going to ask me in," asked Lester "or keep me standing on the steps in this miserable weather?"

Connor opened the door further and ushered his boss inside. Closing the door behind Lester, Connor pointed at the coat rack.

"You can hang the rain coat there and take off your shoes before you come into the living room," said Connor as he turned and walked back to the sofa. Picking up the bottle from the end table, Connor settled back down with his daughter.

"Where's Abby," asked Lester as he hung his dripping coat and started to untie his shoe laces.

"She's upstairs… sleeping," answered Connor "it's the middle of the night you know and new mother's need their rest."

Lester's face softened for a moment at a long ago memory. Yes, he knew that new mother's needed their rest. And so did new fathers. Lester set his wet shoes down on the rug beneath the coat rack and padded in his stocking feet into the living room. He settled himself in the overstuffed chair across from Connor and little Sarah.

"I thought Abby was determined to breast feed," said Lester.

Connor blinked. Had he actually heard Lester correctly? Abby and little Sarah had been home from the hospital just a week now, and Abby was breastfeeding their daughter… but Connor didn't think she had ever told Lester that… and Connor knew he hadn't told Lester.

"This is breast milk," answered Connor flushing a little. "Abby has a pump… can store the milk… this way she gets to sleep… and I get a little one on one time with my princess." He shifted the little girl back to his shoulder and set the bottle down to start patting her back again.

Lester watched the younger man. He was totally absorbed in his daughter. Lester knew Connor wasn't going to like what he had to say next.

"Connor," said Lester "we need you to go to Mumbai."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The baby belched and started to wail. Connor stood up, pacing back and forth, patting the little girl on her back.

Connor glared at Lester. "I'm supposed to be on vacation for the month," he said "you remember… to make up for the time I didn't get to take all last year." The baby seemed to pick up on Connor's frustration and squirmed, turning her head from side to side, crying louder.

"Ssh, Sarah, ssh," whispered Connor looking down at the infant "you'll wake up Mummy."

Lester watched Connor jiggle the baby, pacing back and forth. Lester stood up from the chair. "May I?" asked Lester gesturing at the baby.

Connor looked at the man in surprise.

"I've got three children of my own you know," said Lester "I do know a thing or two about babies."

"Right," said Connor holding out the little pink bundle "you can walk her while I go to the kitchen… need to warm up the bottle."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor rubbed his eyes tiredly as he warmed Sarah's bottle. What was Lester thinking to ask him to go to Mumbai now? Abby was so not going to like this he thought.

He brought the bottle back into the living room where he saw Lester sitting in the overstuffed chair with Sarah snuggled in his arms. The older man was speaking to the baby in a soft steady voice. Connor didn't recall that gentle tone ever being heard from his boss before.

"I know," said Lester quietly to little Sarah. "Really, I hate to ask… but we need your Daddy."

"What is it you need me to do Lester?" asked Connor.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby looked at Connor's image on the webcam. He looked tired she thought. Those circles under his eyes and the cut on the side of his face hadn't been there when he left London. She rubbed little Sarah's back while she listened to him talking to Lester and the other ARC personnel assembled around the video equipment.

"The problem was there were two anomalies open in Mahim Bay," explained Connor "the one directly under the Bandri-Worli sea link opened to the Jurassic…" He pointed to a map on the wall behind him.

"That's where the pliosaurs came from and the other anomaly in the center of the bay… it opened to the cretaceous… that's where the mosasaurs were coming from. We got a sub in there to get some readings, and once we locked the first one, the blinkers on the bridge itself stabilized… we got some really good readings before the center span crashed down..."

He gestured towards the desk. A woman with long dark brown hair stood there holding a small boy. "Couldn't have got any readings without Padmaja here," Connor added "Lester we need to see if she'll come work for the Mumbai ARC."

Abby almost laughed at the expression on Lester's face when he heard Connor's words.

"We don't have an ARC in Mumbai," the older man reminded Connor.

"You didn't," said Connor "but you need one now, and Padmaja is the best technical rep you'll find."

"I'll see what the International ARC's budget will allow…" began Lester.

"Make it happen Lester," said Connor impatiently "because I can't keep travelling all over the world."

The two men stared at each other for a moment.

"And I'll have a word with Abby," said Connor. "In private," he added.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester and the other ARC personnel had left the conference room. On the webcam Abby watched Connor call the dark haired woman over. He introduced Abby and Sarah to Padmaja and her little son Jatin before they left.

"I'll be home Tuesday night," said Connor.

"Promise," replied Abby.

"Yeah."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	12. The Minister Without Portfolio

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

9.4 The Minister Without Portfolio

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester handed his greatcoat to the waiting attendant and then stepped into the members' lounge of the club. He scanned the room carefully, locating his quarry. There in the back of the oak paneled room, sat the minister.

The man looked up as Lester approached.

"James," he greeted him "good of you to come so quickly."

Lester raised an eyebrow at that remark. "Well, when the minister calls…" he began "one does…"

"Stuff it Jimmy," said the man he'd known for more than half his life "we don't have time for formalities… we've got another problem at the Forest of Dean construction site."

James Lester sighed as he sat down in the tufted brown leather chair. "What is it this time Billy?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The anomaly tourists picketing the construction site were disappearing.

And while that might have been considered a good thing in some quarters, it wasn't a good thing if there wasn't an open anomaly to account for their disappearance. There had to be a creature loose in the surrounding woods.

"Can't imagine why the anomaly tourists are still chasing after golden lights..." the Minister complained "after all the money we've poured into the BBC and that doctor show, you would think more people would be looking for blue boxes…"

"Some misinformation plans don't work," replied Lester "perhaps it's time for another approach to the Forest of Dean anomaly site development."

"What have you got in mind?"

"Well," replied Lester "I've been described as your hatchet man on occasion… I think perhaps it's time to pull out some weaponry… perhaps even some heavy artillery."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The new special forces training units assigned to the Forest of Dean anomaly location had all the latest technology, and some of the more effective older technology.

The sound of gunfire from the new shooting range discouraged most of the anomaly tourists. The rest of the gawkers left the Forest of Dean site abruptly when Becker drove the tank onto the grounds.

But it was another six weeks before they captured the creature.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	13. Tuesday Night

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

9.4-2 Tuesday Night

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor showed his passport to the customs agent. The ministry's aircraft had been delayed due to technical difficulties, so he had travelled back to London on a commercial flight… with all its attendant red tape and delays.

The woman joked that he would need a new passport soon, there wasn't room for any more stamps. Connor gave a small smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He had nothing to declare, and just wanted to get through this line and go home. He stepped into the arrivals terminal.

"Connor!"

He turned at the sound of Abby's voice. She was running across the tiled floor towards him. He dropped his baggage in time to catch her in his arms. He felt her hands clasping the sides of his face tightly as he lifted her up off the ground. He breathed in the scent of her. Kisses tickled down across his face until their lips finally met.

For the first time in three weeks, the tension drained out of Connor's body. This was where he belonged.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"You can put me down now," whispered Abby when she could breathe again.

"Oh, yeah," said Connor as he reluctantly lowered her feet back on the floor and released his grasp on her. Cupping her face in his hand he added "You've cut your hair."

"Yeah," Abby replied with a chuckle "Sarah kept pulling it."

"I like it short," Connor said as he looked around "but where's Sarah?" He didn't see anyone he recognized in the bustling to and fro of people in the terminal.

"I asked Beth to watch her for a few hours," said Abby with a knowing smile "told her I wanted a few hours alone time with my husband… She'll bring Sarah home later this evening."

Connor raised his eyebrows. There was a gleam in his eye as he said "Best get home then, yeah."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

He bent down to pick up his messenger bag and the small carry on tote he had packed for the emergency trip to Mumbai. The trip was supposed to only have taken a couple days, but it had turned into a much longer stay. As he stood, Connor wrapped his arm across Abby's shoulder. They started walking to the car park.

"Anything happen while I was away?" he asked.

"Well," answered Abby "construction resumed at the Forest of Dean facility… and Becker got his tank."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	14. Growth and Development

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

9.8 Growth and Development

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Construction of the Forest of Dean facility was going slower than expected.

When Abby had returned from maternity leave, she had been appalled at some of the design plans that had been previously approved. Abby had demanded a recheck on the facility size, bringing in reams of data from nearly ten years worth of creature care. The changes she recommended for the holding areas alone would probably double the cost of the project.

Lester rubbed his eyes and smiled. He had tried to explain to Abby that the changes she was requesting were not feasible, not with the limited budget they had. But she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"_We have a responsibility to these creatures," Abby exclaimed "Lester, we can't just cram them all in together in tiny spaces like Leek did!"_

The newest proposal Abby and Lester's new assistant Lucien had developed was brilliant, not that he would ever tell them. It might go to their heads.

Lucien's ideas to bring in supporting funds by imposing fines on anomaly tourists caught too close to the anomalies had already been implemented and were starting to show positive results. But this geodesic dome structure that Abby was recommending to top off the creature preserve and allow the aerial creatures room for flight… that was going to be tricky.

Lester looked at his watch. Abby would have gone home for the day by now. Although she was back at work, she was only working a part time schedule for the foreseeable future. But Lucien would still be here. Lester pressed the intercom button.

"Lucien," called Lester "if you have a moment I'd like you to stop by and discuss how we're going to fund the latest changes to this proposal… especially the geodesic dome structure."

"Be right over," replied Lucien.

As Lester disconnected the intercom he thought how lucky the International ARC had been to get Lucien. The young man had graduated at the top of his class with a double major in finance and political science. He could have gone to work anywhere in the world, but Lucien had specifically requested a position at the London branch of the ARC.

Lester was glad the young man was on the team. He found himself relying on Lucien more and more every day.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lucien closed the door as he exited Lester's office holding a slim folder. Lester's approval signature was on the newest proposal for the Forest of Dean creature preserve… including the geodesic dome structure. Lucien grinned. He was excited about the progress they were making for the creature preserve… not that he would ever let Lester know.

"Hey," Lucien called to the man walking down the hallway.

Head bent down, turning the pages of the report in his hands, the man was totally oblivious to the presence of another human being in the hall.

"Abby's boyfriend… you need to look where you're going," continued Lucien with a chuckle.

Connor stopped. He was mere steps away from running into Lucien. "Husband," he responded with an answering chuckle. "Hi Lucien."

"Going home?" asked Lucien.

"Yeah," replied Connor, pointing at the papers in his hands "just as soon as I finish this."

"Well tell Abby we got the approval," said Lucien holding up the project file folder.

Connor grinned. "That will make her day."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor entered the front door juggling a bag of take away, a movie, the mail, and files from work.

Abby watched from across the room as he started setting things down on the table by the door. At the sight of the files, she exclaimed "Connor, tell me you didn't bring home work again."

"Look who's talking," Connor replied with a chuckle.

Abby looked down at the large glass tank in front of her. Regina the coelurosauraus and the three remaining hatchlings looked up at her. Regina chirped. An answering call came from Rex as he soared down the stairway into the living room.

"I had to bring them home," she protested "it was too cold in the menagerie for the babies."

"Lucien asked me to tell you that Lester approved the proposal for the Forest of Dean creature preserve," said Connor.

Abby smiled at the good news, but she also remembered the many late nights she had worked on the proposal. She and Lucien had gone over the data files for weeks as they created the newest proposal. Often they had worked through dinner at the dining table right in front of her while Connor juggled taking care of Sarah, making dinner for all of them and keeping up with his own work.

She watched Connor as he hung up his jacket on the coat rack by the door, paused for a moment and then peeled off his button down shirt hanging it up too.

"And I have to read those files before tomorrow's meeting," he added reasonably "but not right this minute."

Connor picked up the bag of take away and the movie and carried them to the dining table. He ran his hands gently up Abby's bare arms before he wrapped his arms around Abby drawing her close for a kiss. She leaned into his body with a small sigh.

"I've been unfair to you," she admitted "but you do work too much."

"I'm not working right now though," Connor replied looking into her deep blue eyes. "This is our time… dinner and a movie… yeah."

Abby tilted her head sideways to look at him. "What movie did you get?"

Peeking down at the little girl squirming on her play mat beside her mother's feet Connor asked "Sarah, would you like to watch Land Before Time after dinner?"

The baby, wearing nothing but a diaper, gurgled and reached her little hands out to grab her toes.

"She's too little to watch a movie," protested Abby "she won't understand…"

"She might watch it…," replied Connor as he leaned close to Abby's ear and whispered "thought it might be a good distraction..."

"Connor!"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

That evening, Sarah fell asleep between bites of mashed carrots.

Connor didn't get to read his files.

And no one watched Land Before Time.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	15. Risk

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

10.3 Risk

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"No," said Connor.

Lester looked at him from across the expanse of his huge desk in surprise. "Connor, whatever do you mean?" he began "The International ARC needs you in Kuala Lumpur…"

"I said no," repeated Connor sitting up straighter in the chair "I'm not going."

Lester narrowed his eyes at the younger man. "I seem to remember a time when you told me I couldn't stop you from doing this work," he said sarcastically. "Why the sudden change of heart now?"

"You didn't hear me right," replied Connor stiffly "I didn't say I wasn't going to work on anomalies… I said I wasn't going to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow to work on anomalies."

The two men glared at each other.

"If you really want me to work on anomaly research," continued Connor angrily "you need to give me time… back in the lab… I don't need to be on airplanes… and certainly not in those bloody planning meetings." He rose to stand in front of his chair.

"Now if you'll excuse me," said Connor "I'll be going now. I'm late." Lester watched the young man stride down the hallway as his office door swung slowly shut.

He turned to Lucien and said "Well that went remarkably well."

Lucien leaned forward. "It's Sarah's birthday," he reminded Lester "she's one."

"Yes, yes," exclaimed Lester irritably "I know how old Temple's daughter is." I just don't know how I could have forgotten it… today, he thought. And really, just how many overseas trips have we sent Temple on?

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Abby," exclaimed Connor as he came into the kitchen "you're not supposed to be doing any heavy lifting!" He reached to take Sarah out of Abby's arms, looking at her with concern.

Jiggling the little girl on her hip, Abby objected "Holding Sarah is not heavy lifting."

"She's over twenty pounds," insisted Connor "so according to Dr. Smythe she's heavy."

The little girl in question was struggling to escape Abby's grasp, reaching for her Daddy, and babbling happily. "Dada… dada…" Abby relinquished the child to Connor.

"Dr. Smythe is just being overly cautious," she soothed Connor. Caressing the side of his face with her tiny hand she added "I'm fine."

"Yeah," replied Connor "you were fine last time up until the delivery."

"Connor, quit worrying," Abby replied, adding "it's time to put Sarah in the high chair."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the dining room, Connor set Sarah into the high chair buckling her in securely. The child squealed in delight.

"Wa eee," she said eagerly "wa eee."

"Mummy's coming," said Connor as he heard Abby's approach.

Abby entered the room carrying a chocolate cupcake covered with a thick layer of frosting and lit with one pink candle.

Connor and Abby sang together… happy birthday dear Sarah…

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

A week later, both Connor and Abby were in Lester's office listening to him discuss the soon to be completed Forest of Dean facility.

"Abby," said Lester "we'd like you to take the position of coordinator for the creature preserve. And Connor, the International ARC would be willing to have you transfer to the Forest of Dean facility… it's got a state of the art communications hub… you could talk to the technical leads in the other ARCs via web meeting… really, it would really save the International ARC a lot of money if you would accept."

Abby and Connor exchanged a glance. Connor reached a hand across the space between chairs to hold Abby's hand. She nodded.

"It sounds perfect," said Connor "but Lester we're expecting again. Abby's going to need an assistant to start training now… and I don't mean another Stephen clone to help with creature transport or sweeping up the pens. She needs someone who can think fast and work independently."

Lester cleared his throat and looked at Lucien. His assistant had already moved to the cabinet behind Lester's desk and was rapidly thumbing through personnel files. Lucien handed a slim folder to Lester with a small shrug.

Perhaps, thought Lester as he glanced through the file.

"Abby," he said "we've got a young woman who started in with security, but she has repeatedly requested a transfer to the creature care and containment department. Perhaps you might meet with her… see if you think she meets your needs… and if she's willing to relocate…"

"Yeah Lester," said Abby picking up the folder "I'll be glad to meet with this woman… Taylor Craig."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	16. Creature at the Forest of Dean Facility

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N after A Walk In The Park and Twelfth Of Never**

11.7 – The Creature at the Forest of Dean Facility

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker was tapping his foot impatiently. "Connor," he said "we need to get moving."

"I'm moving as fast as I can," protested Connor as he buttoned the baby's pink jumper. Handing the infant to Becker he added "Here, hold Amelia while I get Tommy ready."

"Erp." Becker looked startled at the sudden intrusion into his arms, but Connor was already moving over to the other crib where he began talking soothingly to the baby boy that was howling there.

A tug on Becker's pants leg alerted him to another person needing his attention. Nearly three years old, little Sarah was looking up at him with her big brown eyes. Becker knelt down careful not to disturb the infant he was holding.

"You can pet 'Melia," said the little girl seriously "like this." She reached out her little hand and demonstrated. Becker reached out his free hand and stroked the side of the six month old baby's face. As his fingers reached her round little double chins, Amelia gave a happy gurgle and kicked up her heels.

Across the room, Connor finished changing the nappy and snapped little Tommy into a blue jumper. Picking the child up and turning towards his waiting friend, the sight he saw made him grin.

"So Becker," Connor asked "are you and Jess thinking about having children yet?"

Becker looked up from the two little girls in front of him. Connor and Abby so obviously adored being parents, but he and Jess both came from big families, they both knew how much effort was involved in raising children… and they were still newlyweds… what was the best way to answer his friend's question.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Becker with a smile.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"I appreciate you driving me in this morning mate," said Connor as he climbed back into the big black SUV after they had dropped the little ones off at the child care center in the village.

Abby had not wanted to be late on her first day back at work after the twin's birth. Becker's arrival last night from London had been a welcome chance to see friends and he'd volunteered to take Connor to the Forest of Dean facility the next morning so she could get an early start. And if Becker had questions he wanted to discuss with Connor in private, so much the better.

"Connor," began Becker "I'm here because of the incursion yesterday."

"Hmmph," chuckled Connor "well I never thought you came just because you missed me smiling face mate."

Becker chuckled. He and Jess missed their friends more than Abby and Connor knew, but he wasn't going to tell Connor that.

"Connor," he asked "what could take out a gorgonopsid?"

"Well, it depends," began Connor "lots of creatures from different time periods are capable… and people too if they've got the right weapons…"

Becker listened as he drove to the Forest of Dean facility. When Connor's babbling finally slowed for the man to take a breath, Becker asked the question that was really bothering him.

"Do you think a future predator might have come through from being stuck in the Permian?"

Connor turned to look at his friend, suddenly serious. "It's possible."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby was listening to Taylor's excited talk. There had been quite a few changes in the creature preserve while she had been out on maternity leave. The empty aurochs containment area was just one of the changes.

"Vesna confirmed that Binky and Stinky arrived safely," said Taylor.

Abby nodded. Their counterpart in the Warsaw ARC had been ecstatic to learn that the mating pair of aurochs was being relocated to the creature preserve in Poland near the Jaktorow Forest. The two women stopped on the walkway in front of the empty gorgonopsid containment area. Abby looked at Taylor.

"What happened yesterday?" she asked.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor and Becker entered the main door to the Forest of Dean facility. From the hub, Beth greeted them cheerfully.

"Me labs this way," said Connor with a jerk of his head "want you to see something before we go out to the containment area."

"Any chance of whatever killed the gorgonopsid being inside the facility?" asked Becker as he followed the scientist down the hallway.

"No," responded Connor sounding surprised at the question "the place would have gone into lockdown."

Becker smiled. He had thought so, but it was nice to have Connor confirm it. Connor opened the lab door.

"I thought of this," Connor said pointing to a broken anomaly locking device setting on his work table "when I heard that the gorgonopsid had been electrocuted."

At Becker's puzzled expression, Connor continued. "It's the locking device that shorted out… three years ago… you remember when we were coming back from Edinburgh."

Becker did remember, and finally understood why Connor thought it might be related to yesterday's incursion. An unexplained power surge had fried the anomaly locking device all those years ago. Connor had checked it thoroughly and found no signs of sabotage and no real reason for equipment failure. Yesterday, a power surge had occurred, the gorgonopsid broke through its containment fence and then it had been found on the walkway dead… electrocuted.

"You don't really think the creature attack yesterday was caused by a future predator," asked Becker "do you?"

"Hope not," replied Connor with a small grin "I think the creature we're looking for uses electricity."

"Man," said Becker grimly.

"Or woman," said Connor shrugging his shoulders and thinking of Helen "or maybe something like an electric eel…" Seeing Becker's expression he added "but they're fish, so really couldn't walk on dry land…"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the creature preserve, something slithered in the gorgonopsid containment area. Abby's blue eyes opened wide as she saw a large snakelike creature, at least a meter round and three times as long, raise itself up behind Taylor. The creature's dark skin appeared shiny, perhaps oily. It opened a large mouth and flicked out long pink and gray spotted tongue. Grabbing Taylor's wrist, she pulled the young woman towards her.

"Run!"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker and Connor were almost back at the hub when the first alarm sounded.

"Abby… Taylor," called Beth "what's going on out there?"

"Beth," echoed Connor worriedly "what's going on out there?" He looked over Beth's shoulder at the monitoring screen. The red biomarkers that indicated the location of Abby and Taylor appeared to be moving quickly up the creature preserve walkway. They were running towards the building he realized. Behind them, the black dotted line that indicated the location of the electrified fence for the scutosaurus containment area changed to a gray dotted line. Just like the markings around the gorgonopsid containment area.

"Another power failure," gasped Connor "and whatever is causing it… is chasing Abby and Taylor."

"Connor," yelled Becker as his friend ran down the hallway, yanked open the exit door to the creature preserve walkway and disappeared "You don't have a weapon!"

"Hurry Becker," urged Beth "the next containment fence is around the hyenadon area." They both knew the hyenadons were predators.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby gave a brief glance over her shoulder. The slithering creature appeared to be emitting sparks, and if that wasn't worrisome enough, it was gaining on her and Taylor.

"We've got to slow it down," she gasped.

"Got an idea," huffed Taylor. As they ran past several barrels near the fence of the hyenadon containment area, Taylor knocked each one over. The lids rattled loose and yellow tennis balls bounced across the walkway. The slithering creature's approach slowed, but didn't stop entirely.

The containment fence around the hyenadon area sparked, the electrified portion of the fence failed. The snapping and snarling hyenadons moved closer to the fence. The slithering creature turned its gaze to the hyenadons.

Abby looked at Taylor. "How's your climbing," she asked pointing at a nearby oak.

"Pretty good actually," said the young woman cheekily "I'll just give you a boost, yeah."

"Great," agreed Abby. The young woman was a good five inches taller than Abby. And at five nine she could easily reach the bottom branches of the huge oak. From their perch in the oak tree, they watched as the slithering creature moved towards the fence.

The hyenadons stopped barking and started backing up, still growling menacingly, but retreating. Abby gasped as the slithering creature narrowed itself and began to push through the metal bars. She realized then that the gorgonopsid yesterday had been trying to escape. The barks and growls of the hyenadons turned to yelps of fear, and then she heard the running sound of human footsteps.

"Connor!"

"Abby," Connor yelled "where are you?" The slithering creature pulled its head back and turned in the direction of his voice.

"Up here," called Abby "Hurry!"

Abby and Taylor reached their hands down to grasp Connor's hands and he started climbing. The slithering creature was coming towards him.

Shots rang out. Electric charges crossing the walkway low to the ground hit the creature. It glowed brightly for a moment, then appeared to absorb the EMD shots.

"Stop shooting the EMDs," called Becker to his kneeling men. Connor was higher now, in the tree branches with Abby and Taylor. "Live ammo now," he ordered.

The creature seemed to shudder for a moment, but then continued moving forward.

"Henson," called Becker "switch weapons now. Quickly."

The young cadet looked frightened as he took the smoking firearm that Becker handed him and gave Becker a long black gun. Becker widened his stance and held the new weapon low, almost as a fireman would hold a firehose. But when Becker pulled the trigger, flames not water shot out. The creature hissed in pain and reeled back it's oily skin flaming.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"What," asked Becker wearily "was that?"

Abby looked at her friend leaning against the tree. Becker was bent over with his hands on his upper thighs. Her gaze travelled to the remains of the creature.

"I'm not sure there's enough left to determine," she began.

Connor spoke up. "The fossil record is incomplete," he added "but the only creature that I know of capable of generating electricity in its own body is the electric eel… but that's a fish."

"The modern electric eel is related to catfish," said Taylor.

"And some catfish are known to walk," concluded Abby.

"Great," growled Becker in a tone that indicated it was anything but great. "Beth," he said into the comm. "we're going to need several teams searching the rivers… and they better have flame throwers and maybe some rubber boots, rubber gloves and rubber nets."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

As Abby and Taylor continued their rounds, Abby asked "Taylor, what are the barrels of yellow balls for?"

The young woman grinned. "I'm teaching Scrappy how to play fetch," she replied.

Abby chuckled as she wondered which one of the hyenadons the young woman had named Scrappy.


	17. Reality Check

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

11.7-2 – Reality Check

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby smoothed the blue comforter over Tommy, tucking in the edges around his chubby sleeping form. Then she moved to the other side of the room. She picked up the stuffed pink dinosaur from where Amelia had tossed it out of the crib and placed it next to the sleeping baby. Quietly tiptoeing out of the nursery she pulled the door closed behind her. Across the hallway, she could hear Connor reading Sarah a bedtime story. He must be finishing, she thought.

"And they all lived happily ever after," said Connor.

Abby listened for a moment longer before turning to go to her own bedroom.

"Goodnight princess."

"Ni, ni Da."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor slipped quietly into their bedroom. Abby was sitting on the side of the bed taking off her shoes and socks. The house was quiet. Becker had returned to London after the events of the day. Dinner and bath time was done. The children were now in bed and it was the first time that Abby and Connor had a moment to themselves.

"Rather exciting first day back now wasn't it," said Connor as he sat down beside her.

Abby tilted her head to look at Connor. "A bit more exciting than I wanted," she admitted ruefully. "I could have gone a long time without seeing that thing today."

"Yeah," agreed Connor reaching for his boot laces and beginning to untie them, "me too. If it hadn't been for the drought this spring, the creature might have stayed in the river…"

"Do you really think it's been there for years," asked Abby dropping her last shoe to the floor "from before the facility was built?'

He shrugged as he pulled the big brown boot off his foot. Dropping the boot to the floor, Connor held out his right hand in front of him, waffling it to and fro. "Possibly," he said as he brought his other boot clad foot up to his knee and began untying the laces, "probably."

Abby walked barefooted over to the dresser and picked up her hairbrush. She started vigorously pulling the brush through her short blonde hair, watching Connor in the mirror as he finished taking off his boots.

"What were you thinking?" she asked him.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

On the bed, Connor spun around to look at her, releasing the last boot to land on the floor with a resounding thump. "Huh?" he asked "What do you mean?"

"Running into the creature preserve like that," Abby snapped "you could have been killed!"

"But, but Abby," he spluttered "you were there… you could have been killed like the gorgonopsid yesterday."

"All the more reason for you to stay inside the facility," she hissed angrily "we have children now… you can't just keep running into danger to try and save me…"

"Abby," exclaimed Connor, thinking he wouldn't want to live in a world without Abby. "I'll always be there for you…"

"We can't both get killed Connor!" Abby said forcefully "One of us has to be here for the children…"

Connor was on his feet before she finished her words. He moved quickly towards her. Turning her body to face him he pulled her tight into an embrace. Her body was shaking.

"Abby, ssh love," he whispered "it's all right… we're both fine… no one died today…"

She sobbed against his chest, while he gently stroked her back. Connor remembered what she had told him about her and Jack's upbringing.

"Abby," he said when her sobs had finally diminished to mere hiccups, "if something ever were to happen to both of us, our children won't be alone… they've got me Mum, me sister Beth, your brother Jack, Jess and Becker, the Lester's… "

Abby sniffled. "You better not let anything happen to you," she murmured into his chest "wouldn't want Jack trying to raise our children… he's not grown up yet himself."

"Give him time," soothed Connor "he'll grow up eventually… I did."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby looked up into Connor's face. "Since when?" she teased.

"I'm thirty-five years old now, married, with three children, a home and a life insurance policy," Connor chuckled "I think I'm finally grown up now."

Abby smiled, chuckling at his words. He was still the eager, excited young man, amazed at all the worlds wonders, that she had first met so long ago in the Forest of Dean… no matter how many new responsibilities he was dealing with, and that was one of the many things she loved about him.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	18. Another Creature Sighting

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

11.9 Another Creature Sighting

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"The Malaysian government is reporting another recurrence of the creature sighting," began Lester at the Monday morning meeting of the International ARC "but their equipment has not been able to pinpoint the anomaly location."

He looked directly into the webcam monitor. "Connor, we need you to be in London Wednesday for the flight out… the situation warrants your personal review of the branch office equipment and procedures there."

"What?" protested Connor "I inspected every bit of the kit before we sent it… Yusef and I spent hours on the net meeting going over the installation… Yusef knows his stuff, he…"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure the equipment is set up just fine," Lester interrupted "but the government is concerned about the repeated creature sightings…they're pushing for the creation of a full ARC facility not just a branch office. The ARC facilities in Mumbai and Sydney are just too far away for a rapid response."

"That sounds like a policy decision. Isn't that more like your job," asked Connor with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "not mine."

"Actually," said Mrs. Lester as she leaned forward into view of the webcam "the minister has tasked me with that responsibility, you're just along for… technical back up."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Yusef and Maru, the chief of security, met Mrs. Lester and Connor at the airport and took them directly to the ARC's branch office.

Connor was glad that he had slept during the flight. As the foursome entered the tiny hub, Connor dropped his overnight bag and Mrs. Lester's carryall by the door and carried his messenger bag to the anomaly detection device.

"Yusef," he called "you're with me."

The two men sat down on the floor. Connor pulled out his diagnostic tools and began unscrewing the casing to the machine. Yusef leaned forward to watch and listen as Connor described the components they were rechecking.

Mrs. Lester glanced at Maru for a moment before the two of them continued past Connor and Yusef to the next room. There they met with the office director to go over the case files.

The creature had been sighted near the limestone Batu Caves, but the anomaly detection device had not sounded any alerts. Visitors to the Temple Caves had reported sightings below the temple entrances periodically for several years now. It was thought the creature might be coming from the region around the Dark Cave or perhaps even from within the Dark Cave. Some people had even taken pictures, but the photos were blurry and inconclusive. She picked up the file, frowning slightly at the pictures. The date of the first reported sighting was years ago.

"We'll need to go out to the site where the creature was last seen," Vivian told the office director. The young woman looked at Maru for a moment. The chief of security nodded in agreement.

"Maru will take you to the caves," she replied.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the tiny room that served as the hub for this branch of the ARC, Connor was reattaching cables to the equipment.

"I can't find anything wrong," he said to Yusef.

The younger man grinned at him. "Good," he said "be sure and tell my boss that."

"Yeah," grunted Connor as he tightened another fitting, "I'll be sure to tell her."

Mrs. Lester, Maru and the office director re-entered the hub in time to hear the last comment.

"Tell me what?" asked the young office director.

"Tell you that there's nothing wrong with this equipment," said Connor "and Yusef knows his job just fine." Turning to Mrs. Lester he added "And there is no reason for me to be here."

"Oh, but there is," she said with a smile "we're going spelunking and you'll need to bring the hand held anomaly detectors."

"You're never going caving in those shoes," protested Connor looking at the high heeled foot in front of him.

"Of course not," she smirked as she reached down for her carryall. "I'll just be a moment."

Mrs. Lester took her bag and strolled down the hallway to the ladies room. There she soon changed into the gear she had packed for this trip, a black security vest over a long sleeved brown shirt, black pants and her brown boots. She was ready for anything.

When she returned to the hub, Connor was packing up the last of his diagnostic tools. He blinked in surprise at her changed appearance. He had never seen the classy Mrs. Lester in anything but a dress and heels before. The hair she normally wore up in a twist was now hanging down loose. It was almost as disconcerting as seeing Lester in blue jeans.

"I can do the action stuff too you know," smiled Mrs. Lester, as she noted his surprise "James and I met at MI5 training years ago."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

When Connor called Abby on the webcam late that night, he was excited.

"The creature looks sort of like the labyrinthodont we saw years ago in Witchfield," he exclaimed "but it isn't… it has little legs, lots of legs. It looks like it may be a whole new species."

"And it's been living in the caves?" asked Abby.

"There's some really unique animals here Abby," said Connor "but there was no sign of an anomaly. The biologists will have to do the final determination, but unless something came through decades ago this creature has nothing to do with an anomaly."

Abby stared at the pictures Connor was holding up to the webcam in wonder. Amazing she thought.

"And best of all," added Connor "we'll be coming home on the next flight."

Behind him, Abby saw a figure. Mrs. Lester, Abby realized as the woman called his name.

"Gotta go now Abs," said Connor as he blew her a kiss "home soon." The webcam disconnected as he closed the laptop.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Yusef drove Connor and Mrs. Lester back to the airport. She went to check in, while the two men were talking and unloading the vehicle.

Connor pulled his messenger bag over his shoulder and reached for the overnight bag.

"It was great meeting you in person finally," he told Yusef.

"Same here," grinned Yusef "but can I ask you a personal question?"

"What?" asked Connor.

Nodding in the direction that Mrs. Lester had disappeared, Yusef asked "Is she your aunt or an older cousin or maybe sister? Or what?"

"Mrs. Lester?" exclaimed Connor in surprise "we're not related."

Yusef handed Connor the last bag. As Connor said goodbye and turned to follow Mrs. Lester into the terminal, Yusef shook his head. He thought he had never seen two people who looked so much alike and weren't related.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"There now," said Mrs. Lester as the airplane took off "that wasn't so bad now. We'll be home in fourteen hours."

"It still counts as an overseas trip," sighed Connor as he reclined his seat back. "Not another one for six months," he reminded her.

"What if we needed an animal expert as well as a technical expert," asked Mrs. Lester "the next time?"

But Connor's eyes were already closed. He didn't hear her question.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	19. Finally…

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

13.5 Finally…

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby had refused repeatedly to go on any overseas trips for the International ARC. The trip to Malaysia had been the shortest of Connor's trips she always reminded him.

"_Usually, you're scheduled for a week's visit and it winds up being a month," she told him whenever Connor brought it up._

"_Mum and Beth would be delighted to watch Sarah, Amelia and Tommy," replied Connor coaxingly, "and Taylor can run the menagerie. It would sort of be like a honeymoon finally… you know, just you and me..."_

"_The children are too young to be left on their own," she said glaring at him._

"_But Abby," he protested "they wouldn't be on their own."_

Abby wasn't worried initially when Connor didn't call on the webcam his third night in the outback, she thought it might be technical difficulties. The Sydney anomaly detection device had been experiencing transmission difficulties and the team was trying to replicate the problem. Connor had brought the latest upgraded equipment for testing in the field. Equipment testing wasn't like going on an actual anomaly call. It was supposed to be safe.

The next morning though she was greeted by a worried looking Beth when she came into work at the Forest of Dean facility.

"Lester's in the conference room," Beth informed her.

"Which one," asked Abby wondering what had happened to bring one of the Lesters away from the London ARC.

"Both of them."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the conference room, Abby listened as James Lester told her Connor and two of the Sydney ARC personnel were missing.

An anomaly had opened in the Innamincka Regional Preserve, near where the team was field testing the new equipment that Connor had brought to Australia. It seemed like a perfect chance to test the anomaly locking device as well. They had gone to lock it.

When they hadn't called back with an all clear, the Sydney ARC had sent a helicopter to the site with a security team. The anomaly was still sitting there glowing and open, the equipment Connor had brought was smashed.

"Becker, Matt, and Emily are going to Sydney, and then from there to Innamincka," James told her "to oversee the search and rescue, their flight leaves in an hour."

"I'm going too," replied Abby with a steely look in her eyes, "tell them to hold the flight until I get there."

The Lester's looked at each other for a moment. Then James turned to back to face Abby.

"We thought you might say that," he said quietly.

"And if something is wrong with the Sydney detector shouldn't we have Jess along also?" asked Abby as she stood up and headed for the door. "After Connor, she's the person who knows the most about the anomaly detection device."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Beth already knew what Abby was going to ask her as the petite blonde approached her station in the Forest of Dean hub.

"Of course," she answered "you know I'll do anything for you, Connor and the children."

Abby decided it would be better if Connor's Mum picked up the children from the day care. Four year old Sarah and the two year old Amelia and Tommy would only start crying if they saw their mother in such a worried state. She dialed her cell phone.

"Mum," said Abby, "I need you."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Usually, any time Abby spent with Jess, Becker, Emily and Matt was filled with laughter and reminiscing, but the long flight to Sydney was strained. Everyone was too worried about their missing team members.

Jess was biting her lower lip as her fingers flew rapidly over the keyboard on her laptop. The only time Abby saw the laptop closed was when the pilot demanded it for takeoff and landing.

Abby reclined her seat fully and tried to sleep, but she kept having nightmares. Emily woke her once.

"Sorry," said Emily "but you seemed to be in such distress."

Abby blinked. "Yeah," she replied "I was having a nightmare about Connor and I being chased by raptors."

"Well," said Matt looking up from where he was leaning over Jess' laptop "we don't have to worry about raptors. The Sydney team confirmed the dating calculator shows the anomaly opens to a time only twelve hundred years ago."

Hmm, wondered Abby as she drifted off into a fretful sleep, what kind of creatures were in Australia twelve hundred years ago.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Upon arrival at the airport, they quickly transferred from the International ARC's jet to the Sydney ARCs helicopter. Matt and Becker conferred for a moment on the tarmac with the Sydney director.

"I was really hoping they would have found something by the time we arrived," Matt said to Becker as he turned towards the waiting helicopter.

Becker looked at him in surprise. "I'm glad they didn't find anything," he replied "as long as there are no bodies, there's still hope." Becker grasped the hand railing and quickly climbed up inside. Matt followed him.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

At the anomaly site, the security team from the Sydney ARC had been joined by a second field team. They had brought in another anomaly locking device. The anomaly was still there, glowing, but locked.

"Open it," demanded Abby "I've got to go through, find Connor."

"It stays locked," said Nathan, the Sydney team leader.

Abby pointed at the ground. Multiple footprints led from the equipment to the anomaly.

"That's our tracks," snapped Nathan "what did you think we were going to do while you were in transport… sit around wringing our hands waiting for the great London ARC to come rescue our people?"

At the stunned expressions on the faces of the London ARC team members, Nathan added "We wasted a lot of time going through there, searching for them. The team didn't go through that anomaly."

Becker stepped forward "No one's supposed to go through the anomalies," he said "standard operating procedure."

"Stuff procedures," growled Nathan "my younger brother is one of our missing men… I'm going to do anything it takes to find him."

In the distance, a tall thin, reedlike man with dark hair stood up and whistled, beckoning them towards him. Pointing at the ground, the man showed them tracks.

"Horses," was all he said.

"Humans," responded Nathan grimly "I would have rather had creatures."

Becker pointed beyond the two men to a small pile of equipment beneath a bush. "What's that?"

Matt strode over and pushed the branches back for a better look. Abby recognized Connor's phone lying there in the dust and leaves.

"Cell phones," said Matt said grimly "and blood."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Two men from the Sydney ARC's security team remained with Jess and her computer at the anomaly site while the rest of them started following the lead of the nameless dark haired man. It had taken the better part of the day to follow the tracks. Often they had thought they lost the trail, but the dark haired man would stop and circle around and eventually find the tracks again. Abby thought the man reminded her a little of Stephen with his uncanny tracking ability.

Human criminals, stealing artifacts from an ancient aboriginal camp site, were the danger here, not dinosaurs. At the crest of a rocky ridge, the ARC's team saw a shack nestled in between the rocks below. Horses were in a nearby corral. It appeared they had located the hideout of the persons they had followed from the anomaly site.

As they were arguing about how best to approach the shack, a shot was heard. Abby turned to run, ready to storm the small building, but an arm reached out, grabbed her, held her back. It was Nathan.

He hissed at her "Getting yourself killed won't help my brother or your husband."

The sound of men shouting and furniture breaking was coming from the shack. More shots were fired, it sounded like there was more than one gun.

"Don't worry," added Becker gesturing at Matt "we've got a plan."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Emily and Abby created a diversion outside, screaming like banshees in accordance with Becker and Matt's plan. A sudden silence occurred inside the shack. Then men came pouring out the door. Becker, Matt, Nathan and his men were able to capture and subdue the criminals. They were still applying handcuffs when Abby entered the cabin.

There was a body on the floor. Beyond the body, in the dim interior light of the shack Abby could see three figures. Two men were sitting on the bench at the back of the room, the third figure was slumped against the man in the middle and moaning.

"Connor?" called Abby anxiously.

The man in the middle turned his head at her voice. "Abby?" he replied in surprise. Then turning back to face the moaning man he said "Kevin's been hurt, we'll need a medic."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor and the first group from the Sydney ARC had surprised the criminals, and been surprised themselves, when they came to lock the newly opened anomaly.

The ARC's team members had all been overpowered, stripped of their communications devices, trussed up and taken back to the criminal's camp. Despite the rough treatment the thieves had given their prisoners, Abby could only be grateful that the young criminals hadn't killed Connor and the other two men outright.

The ringleader of the group, an older man, had arrived at the shack from a distant scouting expedition shortly before the second contingent of ARC personnel had come upon the shack. A hardened criminal, the ringleader had not been pleased to see the prisoners the younger thieves had brought back to their base camp. The older criminal had been the one to fire the first shot, the shot that Abby and the ARC team had heard. The mastermind behind this group of archeological thieves had killed his own man for bringing trouble back with him.

The older man would have killed the remaining thieves and their prisoners too if his own men hadn't turned on him in outrage over the death of one of their own. In the ensuing melee, the subsequent shots had been wild, only one finding a target. Nathan's brother Kevin had taken a shot to his upper right arm.

Becker cut the duct tape from Connor's wrists as he finished his story. Abby pulled him to her, hugging him tightly. He hissed in pain. Abby stepped back to look at him.

"Connor, what's wrong?"

"It's just me ribs are sore," he replied.

The other man that Becker was cutting free, a man named Robert, snorted at Connor's answer. Pointing at the dead man on the floor, he said "That one didn't take too kindly to Connor trying to get a message out, bashed him with a rifle butt."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The helicopter had followed their black box signals to the shack with the aide of Jess and her computer. The pilot picked up the wounded team members and the prisoners, taking them back to Sydney first. Then the helicopter returned for the rest of the ARC's team stopping at both the anomaly site and the shack to retrieve all personnel. Arriving at the airport, Abby learned that an ambulance had transported Connor and Nathan's brother to the hospital while Robert, the third member of the original ARC team, had gone with the police to file charges against the four thieves. Nathan and Abby left to find a taxi to take them to the hospital, while the remaining members of the London ARC returned to the International ARC's jet.

When Abby and Nathan arrived at the hospital, they learned Nathan's brother had already been to surgery, the bullet had been removed, and he was now resting quietly in his room. Given time, he would be fine. Abby left Nathan at his brother's room then went to search for Connor again. It took her a while to find him. She finally located Connor in the cafeteria. He was on the phone with Lester.

"Perfect," said Connor with a grin, waving her into the room "thanks Lester." He hung up the cell phone.

"Connor," asked Abby "what did the doctor say?"

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Bumps, bruises and scratches, a three inch cut on his right arm that required stitches and possible cracked ribs that the doctor insisted on wrapping. He had already been released on his own recognizance… whatever that meant. Abby breathed a sigh of relief. It could have been so much worse.

"The rest of the team is going back to London directly," Connor added "but I got Lester to okay some vacation time for us."

"What?" asked Abby in surprise.

"You'll see," grinned Connor happily.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The cozy little three bedroom cottage on a private beach just outside of Sydney was adorable thought Abby, but she really wanted to go back home. The children would be worried. And she said as much to Connor.

"It's our seventh anniversary," Connor said grasping her hand as they walked along the sandy shore, "and we've got two weeks off."

She shook her head, startled. Abby had forgotten the date in her concern for Connor.

He spread the blanket that he had brought from the cottage across the sand and sat down, patting the spot beside him. He smiled up at Abby.

"So let's make this night our honeymoon… finally," he said, adding "and tomorrow, when Beth, Mum and the children arrive it will be our family vacation."

Abby smiled as the meaning of his words became clear. "They're coming here?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah, but," Connor whispered "tonight you're mine" as he leaned back on the blanket, pulling her closer towards him.

Abby could hear the sound of waves crashing against the water's edge. Connor was smiling, his dark eyes gazing at her. Abby returned his smile.

"Completely," she answered completing the lyric from their song. Then she chuckled "Connor it's almost like you planned this."

"Well," he murmured as their lips met "not the sordid bits with the criminals…"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Six weeks after their return, Abby sent Lester an email.

"Abby's notified you that she'll be requesting maternity leave again," exclaimed Vivian in surprise. "James, they only had two children… Sarah and Thomas, in my timeline."

"Well," replied Lester with just the faintest hint of sarcasm "things do change… we should know that better than anyone."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	20. Blue Eyes

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

15.5 Blue Eyes

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Nicky babbled happily, kicking up his heels and squirming as Abby tried to buckle the toddler into his car seat.

"Nicky," she chided fondly "sit still or we won't be able to get your brother and sisters."

He stopped wriggling and looked up at her with his big blue eyes. As always, Abby found herself marveling at his eyes. The little boy had Connor's tug on your heartstring gaze down pat, she thought, but the blue color made it different. It wasn't even the same shade of blue as Abby's own eyes, but more of a blue-gray color.

"Da?" asked the little boy his bottom lip trembling.

"Yes silly," laughed Abby "right after we get Sarah, Tommy and Amelia from school."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby and the four children had been parked in front of the Forest of Dean facility for a good while now. Looking at her watch again, she thought in frustration that Connor should have been out by now. The children were getting antsy sitting buckled in their seats, and so was she.

The door to the building opened, Taylor came out, a bundle in hand, heading towards her car.

"Taylor," Abby called "would you sit with the children for a minute while I go see what's keeping Connor?"

"Sure," grinned Taylor coming towards her. Abby realized the tiny bundle in her hand was a hyenadon pup.

"Taylor," she began sternly "what are you doing with the pup?"

"It's the runt of Scrappy's litter," the younger woman confided "can't leave him alone at night, I've been bottle feeding him."

Leaving her enthralled children with Taylor and the hyenadon pup, Abby entered the building looking for Connor.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Beth was at the hub. Abby greeted her and asked where Connor was. Beth scanned the CCTV feed.

"Oh, there he is," she replied, then her voice faltered a bit "in the lab."

Abby narrowed her eyes at the change in Beth's voice. She stepped forward to see the video image herself.

Connor was in the far corner of his lab, standing by the bookcase facing away from the camera, and he wasn't alone. He was wearing a white lab coat over his clothing Abby noticed. His newest assistant, a woman named Raphaela, was also in the room. And she was standing entirely too close to Connor in Abby's opinion. The woman reached her left hand out, placing it on top of Connor's hand where it rested on the bookshelf.

"Turn up the audio," directed Abby.

"Abby no," said Beth "I'm sure…"

Abby reached across the console and turned the audio on herself.

"… it is so sad," said Raphaela in a sickeningly sweet cloying tone "your older children have your beautiful brown eyes, but the youngest…"

The woman reached her right hand over to Connor's back, she placed her hand between his shoulder blades and began to slide it down his back.

"Blue eyes are a recessive trait," the woman continued "she must have been cheating on you… if you are lonely and need some comfort…"

Abby couldn't believe what she was hearing, and Connor… he was just standing there… not saying a word.

Connor shrugged his shoulders and stepped away from the woman, bringing his hand up to his ear. He pulled the earbud to his personal music device out of his ear.

"Did you say something Raphaela?" asked Connor.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby looked at Beth. "Do you think," she began "that Nicky…"

"No Abby," exclaimed Beth "not for a minute."

At Abby's worried expression, Beth added "Mum won't admit it, but Nicky's her favorite."

"What?"

"Nicky's got my father's eyes," answered Beth.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby glared at Raphaela when she opened the door to the lab. The woman stared back at her boldly.

"Connor," Abby called "it's time to go home. The children are getting antsy waiting in the car."

"Sure Abby," said Connor as he took of the lab coat and draped it across his chair. He followed her quickly out the door, clasping her hand in his as he caught up to her.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

It wasn't until after dinner, baths and story time, that Abby had a chance to talk to Connor about the disturbing scene she had witnessed. They were finishing the washing up in the kitchen, Abby handed a plate to Connor. He started toweling it dry.

"Connor," she asked "your new lab assistant, Raphaela… she seems a bit clingy… yeah?"

"Oh," Connor stiffened slightly "you saw that, did you?"

"Hard to miss," said Abby "does she do things like that often?"

Often enough apparently that Connor had taken to wearing a white lab coat as an extra layer between the woman and himself, and he had started bringing in the ipod to drown out her voice. Abby shook her head remembering Connor's reason for wearing fingerless gloves so long ago.

"Connor," asked Abby in exasperation "why don't you report her? The government frowns on harassment you know."

"I'm not harassing her!" exclaimed Connor.

"No Connor," said Abby gently "she's harassing you."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Later, as they were getting ready for bed, Abby asked Connor what he thought of the woman's comments about little Nicky's blue eyes. He hadn't heard a word the woman had said, and was upset when Abby explained.

"Blue eyes may be a recessive trait, but there are lots of factors that determine eye color" said Connor "and Abby, I know me own children. Nicky's got me father's eyes."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the end though, Connor didn't have to file a harassment complaint. The woman said something rude about Abby when he didn't have his ipod blocking his ears. When he told Lester why he didn't think he could work with the woman, she was transferred. The ARC's outpost at Adelaide, Antartica needed a technician.


	21. Another Holiday Party

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

17.1 Another Holiday Party

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby stepped out of the shower and grabbed a clean towel from the hook. She dried off and wrapped it around her, grabbing another towel for her hair. She started toweling her hair dry as she entered the bedroom.

"Connor," she asked in surprise "you're supposed to be getting dressed for the party. Why are you lying down?"

He rolled over on his side to face her. He was wheezing again Abby noted.

"Just tired," Connor replied when he caught his breath. He looked pale, she thought. She reached a hand out to touch his forehead. No sign of a temperature.

At first Abby had thought Connor had caught one of the viruses that had been going around the children's school. He had even gone to see the general practioner in the village when his cough had continued past a week. But the doctor hadn't been much help. Plenty of fluids and rest was the doctor's recommendation, but he had been as puzzled about the cause of Connor's cough as anyone. And then the cough had finally subsided, but this wheezing had taken its place. Abby wasn't sure whether the wheezing was an improvement or not.

"We could stay home tonight," she suggested gently.

"What, and deprive Mum of the chance to have a slumber party with her grandkids?" chuckled Connor as he sat up. "She'd have me head."

Abby smiled. "Yeah," she agreed.

Tonight would be their first night away from home since their youngest daughter Lizzie had been born. The Lester's had invited several of the ARCs core team to stay the night at their estate after the party, it was a long drive.

The baby was sleeping through the night regularly now, and the older woman had already arrived. Connor's Mum was downstairs listening to the babble of grandchildren. Seven year old Sarah was reading a story to two year old Nicky, while five year old Amelia and Tommy were busily building something with a lego set. The enticing aroma of stew simmering in the kitchen was filling the home. After dinner, the children and their grandmother were going to watch a movie, a video Connor had picked up years ago… The Land Before Time.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Guests were mingling in little clusters throughout the Lester's downstairs. It was chilly and damp out so the doors to the garden patio were closed. Abby left Connor talking to Matt while she went to the hors d'oeuvres table. As she reached to put some crab rangoon on her plate she heard Connor start wheezing again. She turned to look at him. Matt was pounding him on the back and when that didn't stop the awful sound Emily handed Connor a glass of water.

After dinner, Connor had risen and gone over to the dessert table. He wanted a second cup of coffee. That was when Matt came over and sat down beside Abby.

"Abby," he asked "how long has Connor been wheezing like that?"

"Well, he had some sort of cough," she began "it started about a month ago, then changed into this wheezing that you heard tonight."

Matt looked at Abby. Worry was evident in his expression.

"Abby, time in the anomalies varies from our own time," said Matt. "Did Connor ever say how long he was in the future world when he got pulled through Phillip's anomaly?"

Abby looked at Matt in surprise. They seldom talked of Phillip and New Dawn these days. Abby tried to remember what Connor had said about his experience so long ago. She shook her head.

"Matt, I'm sorry but you're going to have to ask Connor," she replied "the only thing I remember him saying about that was if the storm hadn't come through when it did the future predator would probably have killed him."

"I think Connor should see a specialist," said Matt "those toxic winds are dangerous." He wrote a name on a napkin, a London doctor he explained, very good in his field, the man had treated Matt's father. Matt handed Abby the napkin and rose to return to Emily's side.

Abby looked at the paper in her hands in confusion. Hadn't Emily said Matt's father had died?

-_x-x-x-x-x-x_

The oncologist said Connor's prognosis was good. It was lucky that he had come in to be examined before the malignancy had spread any further. Abby reached her hand over to clasp Connor's as they listened to the doctor while he explained the treatment plan, removing the tumor, chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

He wouldn't schedule surgery though until he was sure he had enough of Connor's blood type stockpiled.

"Might want to see if we can get some volunteers," said the doctor "do a blood drive or something."

"What?" asked Abby.

"Connor's type O," explained the doctor kindly "he can only take type O although he can donate blood for anyone. His type is what we refer to as the universal donor."

Abby looked at Connor. Of course, Connor would be type O.

-_x-x-x-x-x-x_

There were three blood drives ultimately.

And several weeks later, on the day of the surgery, Becker and his men arrived at the hospital. They were all willing to donate blood. If their type didn't match Connor, the blood could be used for someone else.

-_x-x-x-x-x-x_


	22. Picnic at the Park Again

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

18.5 Picnic at the Park Again

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"He's better," said Abby as she strolled along the path by the pond with her friend. "Connor just gets frustrated… tires easily and still doesn't have the strength he needs to do things."

Jenny reached her arm across Abby's shoulder and gave the petite blonde a supportive hug.

"The important part," Jenny reminded gently "is that he is getting better."

On the other side of the pond, they could see their husbands on the picnic blankets near the play yard.

Michael was stretched out lengthwise and appeared to be sleeping. The late night set his group had performed seemed to have caught up with the man.

Connor was sitting next to the opened picnic basket trying to feed Lizzie bites of their lunch, but the toddler kept twisting and turning, wanting to see what the bigger children were doing.

In the play yard, Jenny's son Jamie was talking to Abby's oldest daughter Sarah, while the young girl was pushing her brother Nicky on the swing. The other three children, Jenny's daughter Michelle and Abby's twins Amelia and Tommy were climbing the multi-colored monkey bars. The children's laughter could be heard from where the two women were standing.

"Yeah," breathed Abby thankfully. Connor was getting better. "Everything's going to be just fine."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	23. Separate vacation

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

A/N the separate vacation and events leading to Connor's hospitalization are found in Silver Anniversary,

19.4 Separate Vacation

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby was sitting on the blanket. Tiny waves were gently lapping the shore. In front of her, five year old Nicky and the nearly three year old Lizzie were building a sand castle. A sandpiper was standing in the damp sand, watching the construction critically.

Further down the shoreline Abby could see Connor's Mum walking with the older children. Or at least Connor's Mum was walking. Sarah was twirling, dancing almost beside her grandmother. The ten year old girl was already avidly interested in music and dance. Ahead of Connor's Mum and Sarah, eight year old Amelia and Tommy were running to and fro, searching the shoreline. They only returned to bring some new found treasure back for inspection and add it to their grandmother's bucket. Abby chuckled, wondering what the sand bucket would contain when they came back.

The rental cottage in Bournemouth was a short stroll from the beach, and a vacation at the beach was a wonderful treat thought Abby, but Connor should have been here too. She remembered their argument last week.

"_I think separate vacations are a bad idea," hissed Abby, narrowing her eyes. _

"_It'll be fine," said Connor soothingly "Mum can go too, help you with the children… you won't even miss me."_

"_What do you mean not miss you?" Abby asked sharply. Had Connor really no idea of how worried she had been at his illness? He had only just returned to work from his medical leave a few months ago. "Why separate vacations… what's happening to us?"_

"_Nothing's happening to us!" exclaimed Connor in surprise. "It's just I've got some work to do for Matt…"_

"_Is work more important than your family?" Abby had demanded. _

"_I want you and the children to have some fun," protested Connor "I've only just come back to work after all that time off, need to earn me keep you know. I can't take a vacation just yet." _

Abby was feeling more relaxed after five days in Bournemouth, but she still missed her husband. She had called him that morning before work.

"_Why don't you come down," she had asked "just for the weekend? The children miss you." And so do I, she had thought, but had not said out loud._

_He had sounded wistful when he replied, "Would love to, just need to finish this thing for Matt." _

"_Well, hurry up and get to work then," she teased "get to the lab, finish it up, and come see us."_

"_I'm working from home today," Connor had replied "but I'll do me best…"_

"_You're working from home?" she had interrupted "Then how are you going to check on Rex?"_

"_Oh," Connor said "uh… uh…" _

_Abby couldn't believe he had forgotten. She had asked him to look in on Rex every day. The coelurosauravus had been looking a little under the weather when she had left. Taylor was on temporary assignment to the London ARC, and Abby thought the new animal assistant didn't seem to take to Rex. _

"_You promised!"_

"_Abby," Connor had answered "you're right. I'm sorry. I'll check on Rex this morning." _

Abby looked at the silent cell phone. It was almost lunch time and he hadn't called back yet.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby was rattling pots noisily on the stovetop. Dinner was nearly ready. The day had passed quickly, but Connor still hadn't called. Abby stirred the rice impatiently and then dropped the lid back down. She was determined not to call Connor. It was his turn to call her, she thought petulantly.

"Mum," Sarah called from the kitchen doorway "we've got visitors."

"What?" Abby asked in surprise "Who?"

"Henny and Stevie," her daughter replied with a smile. Abby realized her daughter meant two of Becker's men. Hendriks and Stephenson had been frequent visitors over the years, but the children had not been able to say their names properly when they were younger.

Whatever brought them to see her couldn't be good thought Abby as she laid the spoon down on a saucer, turned off the stove, and moved towards the living room.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"What's wrong?" Abby asked immediately upon seeing the two men. They were dressed in their working uniforms, all in black, although they carried no weapons.

Hendriks glanced at the children. They were playing a board game on the table with Connor's Mum. Little Lizzie was sitting in her Gran's lap trying to move the multi-colored playing pieces despite the other children's objections.

"Perhaps," began Hendrik's "we could…"

"The porch," said Abby shortly as she stalked out the front door.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby listened to Hendriks and Stephenson's recital.

Matt's plan had gone terribly awry. His plot to give Helen misinformation had resulted in two people dead at the Forest of Dean facility, a massive breakout in the creature preserve through both the inner creature containment area fencing and the outer perimeter fence. A break through of the outer fence had never happened before. And Connor was injured. She swallowed.

"I'll just get the children and Mum in the car," she began shakily "we can be home in a few…"

"Abby," interrupted Hendriks gently "it might be best if they stayed here..."

"Yeah Abby," added Stephenson "you can fly back with me in the helicopter… get there sooner."

Her fear must have shown on her face.

"No Abby," Hendriks said trying to reassure her "Connor's stable… but the house is a bit of a mess… The gorgonopsid went through the front…"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

It was several hours later that Abby finally arrived at the hospital where Connor had been taken. Becker met her in the lobby. He looked exhausted.

"Abby," Becker explained as he led her to Connor's room "we've got security posted still… we haven't located Helen and Stephen… don't know if they're still in the area."

"Right," said Abby. Helen and Stephen weren't important in her opinion. "How's Connor?"

"Uh… the doctor could probably answer that better," began Becker "he's not awake yet…"

Abby glared at him, even though it wasn't Becker she was upset with, and pushed the hospital door open, stepping into the room. Connor was lying very still on the bed, bandages on his shoulder and right thigh. There was a saline drip bag going into his arm, and an assortment of machines hooked up to him.

"It looks worse than it is," said a woman's voice. Abby turned, startled at the sound of the voice. Mrs. Lester rose from the visitor's chair. "He lost a lot of blood, and then there was anesthesia during the surgery," explained the woman "he's still unconscious, but he should be just fine."

The woman gave Abby a brief hug before letting herself out the door. It surprised Abby how oddly reassuring the woman's hug had been. Abby stepped closer to her husband's bedside. She picked up his hand, interlacing her fingers with his.

"Oh Connor," she sighed as she pulled the chair close and sat down beside him "what have you done to yourself now?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Matt woke Abby the next morning.

"Thought you might want some coffee," he said holding a cup out towards her as she straightened up in the chair. She glanced at Connor. It didn't appear that he had moved any during the night. Abby didn't take the cup from Matt, she just stared at him.

"What," she hissed "were you thinking of?"

Matt's plan should have worked. No one should ever have been in danger, but Helen and her clones were violent. Two people were dead, creatures killed and escaped. Matt shook his head as he explained how the escaped creatures were being rounded up. The Forest of Dean facility's outer perimeter walls had been restored within hours of the break. It was a temporary fix, but at least it was holding.

Lester had already contacted the Mumbai ARC. He wanted the same engineer, an extraordinary man named Rajesh, who had designed the state of the art aquatic creature preserve in the Mahim Bay to take charge of the restoration of the Forest of Dean facility.

Abby thought of the two people killed; the Charlie team coordinator, a nice man named Arthur, and the Forest of Dean facility's head of security, a friendly woman named Genevieve. If Connor's sister hadn't been on her honeymoon, she might have been the coordinator on duty that morning. Abby looked at Connor again.

"Connor knew the plan," said Matt, looking pleadingly at Abby "he should have been working from home. You've got to believe me, I would never risk his life. I just don't know why he went into the facility that morning."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Two days later, Connor woke up. He was thrashing violently, yelling incoherently. The attending doctor gave him a mild sedative. The next time Connor woke up he was calmer, and he recognized Abby. But, he didn't remember anything about the attack on the Forest of Dean facility.

It was another two months before their home was habitable again. The summer, with Connor working by laptop from the beach cottage, was wonderful.

The renovations to the Forest of Dean facility took nearly two years to complete.


	24. Home Again

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

19.6 Home Again

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby and Connor dropped off Connor's Mum at her home on the outskirts of the village, and then continued driving with the children down the narrow country roads to their home adjacent to the Forest of Dean. What few houses they passed were occupied by friends and co-workers from the nearby ARC facility. Abby turned the car on to the long drive way to their home.

"Remember," she reminded her family "the front of the house got messed up when the creatures broke through the fence, so it's going to look a bit different now."

Only she and Connor had seen the broken home since the creature incursion. During the past two months, Abby had returned frequently to check on both the restoration of their home and the creature menagerie. Connor hadn't seen their home since he went to Bournemouth. As their home appeared in view the children's voices rose in a babble of questions and exclamations.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The outer perimeter fence surrounding the Forest of Dean creature preserve was bigger now, as was the fence around their yard. Abby parked the car in front of the gate and watched her older children race up the path to the front door. Connor was unbuckling Lizzie from her car seat and swung the chubby three year old onto his hip holding her tight with one arm.

"Do you want me to take her?" asked Abby.

"It's okay," Connor said with a smile "I've got her." He put his other arm across Abby's shoulder as they walked slowly towards the front door.

He wasn't limping any more Abby noted thankfully. Nodding at the barren front yard where a bull dozer had scraped away rubble, broken debris, and anything else in its path, Abby said "I was thinking roses."

"Yeah," agreed Connor "white roses and maybe some forget-me-nots too."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Ooh," sighed Sarah happily as she slid across the polished wood floor of the empty living room in her socks, her shoes tossed by the stairs. "The room looks so much bigger empty… it's big enough for dancing."

Connor sat Lizzie down. The littlest Temple promptly ran to the long plate glass window running the length of the living room, standing on her tiptoes, trying to peer out. Amelia had gone past the empty room into the kitchen, while Tommy shadowed closely by Nicky had gone through the other door to the dining area. The children's consensus was that everything seemed the same in those rooms.

"Yeah," replied Abby "only the living room and the cellar are different."

Connor looked across the empty room to the fireplace along the far wall. "I thought you said the sofa was okay?" he asked.

"It was fine," Abby answered. The sofa had been upended on one side during the gorgonopsid rampage, but otherwise unharmed. "I just had the workmen put it in the cellar while the floor was torn out. "

"We'll never get it back up the stairs," said Connor. "What did you do that for?"

"You'll see," Abby smirked, and as he started towards the kitchen where the door to the cellar was, she added "after dinner."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby sighed in contentment. It felt good to be home again she thought.

In the dining area, Sarah, Amelia and Tommy were setting the table. Standing on a stepstool beside her, Nicky was carefully adding croutons one by one to the salad bowl setting on the kitchen counter in front of him. Abby stirred the red pot on the stove. Soup bubbled, sending up an inviting aroma.

Glancing to her right, she saw Connor through the open door to his tiny lab. He had Lizzie sitting on his lap. Connor appeared to be telling her to push a button on the laptop open in front of him.

"Conn," Abby said "are you working again?"

"Just checking me emails," he replied "Lizzie's helping."

"Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes," Abby reminded him "just as soon as the bread comes out of the oven."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

After dinner, Abby led the way down the stairs to the cellar.

"The sofa," Tommy exclaimed happily in recognition.

"No bouncing," reminded his mother. "And Sarah off that chair… it's for your father."

Connor was looking at the renovated cellar in surprise. "A proper floor, a bathroom," he asked incredulously "new telly and a chair… Abby did the insurance cover all this?"

"Not all," she admitted "but with the children getting bigger, I thought we might need the space for slumber parties and such… oh and I've ordered a sofa bed for upstairs… it won't be delivered until next week."

Connor was shaking his head. Pointing at the steel girders above their heads and the heavy metal door flanking the stairway, Abby added "Rajesh swears this will do as a safe room, if there is ever another creature breakout."

"Thought Rajesh said there wouldn't ever be another creature breakout," replied Connor still sounding surprised "with his upgraded fencing."

"Yeah," agreed Abby "but I wanted some additional safety features before bringing our children back here… the last fence was supposed to be impregnable too."

Then changing the subject she asked "Are you ready for your favorite show?"

Connor sat in the chair Abby directed him to.

"It's a recliner," she told him "lean back and you can elevate your legs."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The final credits flitted across the television screen. The repeat had been enjoyable, but not everyone had managed to stay awake to the end. Abby stirred on the sofa, carefully moving Nicky off her lap so as not to wake him. In the recliner, Connor was stretched out completely asleep, little Lizzie snuggled on his chest with her thumb in her mouth. It seemed a shame to wake them. Abby tucked a fleecy throw around the pair.

Her three oldest children were yawning and sprawled across the floor with pillows and blankets.

"Do you want to go upstairs to your own rooms," Abby asked them "or camp out here tonight?"

In response, Amelia and Tommy leaned back into their pillows, pulling their blankets closer. Sarah was the only one that spoke.

"I'm happy here," she answered.

Abby smiled. "I'll just lock up then," she said as she went upstairs.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Upstairs, Abby took a moment to look out the plate glass window across her empty front yard. Was it really a good idea to return here she wondered?

She walked over to the front door. Since convergence, security firms had made quite a good business out of installing dinosaur proof security features. Her hand hovered over the security panel briefly before Abby pushed the button initiating her home's private lockdown. Heavy steel shutters came down over the windows and doors.

At least here, she thought, they knew where the creatures were supposed to be.


	25. The New Sofa

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

19.6-2 The New Sofa

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Little Lizzie was holding on to Connor's fingers, her feet on top of his shoes as he danced her around the empty living room. Sarah and Tommy were twirling too, while Amelia and Nicky were carefully marching across the paper footsteps their father had taped to the floor.

Abby chuckled at the sight. She entered the room carrying a laundry basket.

"I hate to break the party up," she said with a smile "but you children need to put your clean clothes away."

She doled out piles of clothing to the children as they came to her. Lizzie got a pair of socks to carry, while Sarah grabbed the rest of Lizzie's things. As Abby watched the boys and girls march upstairs with their burdens, Connor reached a hand out towards her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked grinning happily at her. She held out her hand and he drew her in close.

"Maybe I should cancel the sofa purchase," she whispered as they twirled through the room "seems a shame to lose our dance floor."

"It'll be fine," replied Connor "we'll just push the sofa up against the wall… later maybe we should get some chairs for the room too."

"Yeah," Abby agreed "after we get this lot paid for." She tilted her head to watch the children clambering back down the stairs.

"Another few years," Abby chuckled "and they'll be going to school dances."

"What?" choked Connor, his brown eyes widening in surprise. He missed a step.

Abby looked at him. "They're growing up you know."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	26. Lizard Girls

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

20.3 Lizard Girls

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby was kneeling in the hot, dry sand peering in vain under the rocky outcropping. Whatever had gone into hiding in the shadowed depths of the rocks was not coming out despite her best coaxing voice and a handful of tempting treats. Luis, the team leader from the International ARCs facility in the Baja California region of Mexico walked up the slight incline from the seashore to join her.

"Probably just another leopard lizard," the man said disparagingly.

"I really don't think so," Abby said, not taking her eyes off the shadows beneath the stony ledge in front of her. "Otherwise it would have dropped its tail when you tried to grab it."

"Maybe it was too angry to be scared of me," he commented looking at his hand "bites like a leopard lizard."

A blue bandana covered the fleshy part of his palm, his thick wide fingers extended beyond the bandana showing a trace of blood where the creature now hiding beneath the rocks had snapped at him during his attempt to catch it.

"Usted no debe meterse con un enfadado lagarto," said a pretty young woman who now walked up from the beach to join Abby and Luis.

"What?" asked Abby, finally turning her gaze away from where the elusive creature had disappeared to glance at the ARC's Baja California team members.

"Oh sorry Abby," replied Adriana. "I told Luis, you really shouldn't mess with an angry lizard," she translated.

Abby smirked. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

At Luis' insistence, the three abandoned the attempt to capture the small creature hiding in the rocks. Together, they plodded through the sandy terrain, returning quickly to the base camp. Luis left the two women as he entered the first tent. The medical corpsman assigned to the field team could be heard exclaiming over his hand as Adriana and Abby continued on towards the larger central tent in the camp.

The two women separated as they entered the tent. Desks and a large grouping of technical equipment were found along the left side of the tent, while tables and a cooking area were on the right side. Adriana greeted the cook and began fixing a plate for a late lunch. She joined other team members at one of the tables, chatting about the days events.

Abby walked over to the communications station. She usually tried to call home on her lunch break. The time differences between Baja California and home gave her the chance to speak to each of the children before they went to bed and then have a few moments to talk with Connor, but today she was running late. Abby clicked on the laptop. In a few moments Connor's image appeared on the screen. Behind him Abby could see bookshelves lining the wall, he was in his home lab.

"Abby," he greeted her happily, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"Connor," she sighed, it was good to see him. "Have I missed the children?"

"Lizzie and Nick are already in bed asleep," he replied "but I let the others stay up a bit later tonight…"

Abby watched as he swiveled his chair and turned to call "Sarah, Amelia, Tommy…"

An excited chorus of voices, the sound of running footsteps across the kitchen floor and then the three children were crowding around Connor in his tiny lab. The chatter enveloping Abby made her smile as she listened to her three oldest children tell her about their day. Gran had called earlier that evening too. She should be back in another couple of weeks.

While Connor's mother frequently helped out when either Connor or Abby were called away from home to tend to the International ARCs business, she wasn't able to help this time. The older woman had fallen a few months ago landing hard on her right knee. After surgery, her doctor had insisted she be placed in a rehabilitative care facility to get the physical therapy she needed. Recuperation was slow, but the older woman was mending.

Connor's flexible work arrangement with the ARC permitted him to leave the Forest of Dean facility and pick up their younger children from primary school, while a neighbor brought Sarah home from secondary school. Connor spent a few precious hours of family time with the children and then he caught up on his work later during the evening from his home lab. This flexibility made it possible for Abby to be in Mexico now.

As the children said good night, leaving to go upstairs to bed, Abby asked "Connor, are you getting enough rest?"

Connor just rubbed his eyes and gave her a lopsided grin. They talked a while longer.

The tiny anomaly on the sandbar in the shallow surf of the Baja California waters had opened a month ago. The initial reports from the dating and location calculator indicated this anomaly led to the Permian. Abby had originally been requested to work here when the local team indicated they needed assistance retrieving the lizard-like creatures that had poured through the open anomaly. The creatures had taken to the shoreline environment, and seemed to be settling in, making a home here with no desire to return to their own time.

When Abby arrived and saw the creatures bounding through the waves, diving for fish and sunning themselves on rocks she realized they weren't actually in the lizard family. The team member who had mistakenly identified the creatures was soon replaced with a bright young creature specialist from Mexico City. Abby and Adriana hit it off immediately.

The pictures Abby had sent Connor seemed to indicate the creatures were in the same family as the therocephalians, but these creatures were smaller and behaved almost like otters cavorting along the sandy shore. The creatures were probably ictidosuchids, but definitely not lizards. Abby was disappointed, she had been hoping for something related to the coelurosauravus family_._

A large fence with netting had been place around the anomaly in hopes of limiting any further incursions. The anomaly still hadn't closed despite the best efforts of the International ARCs team and three different locking devices. Abby's one week assignment had stretched into a month. The tent encampment had grown as more researchers came from around the world to see why the anomaly wouldn't lock. Connor would probably have been sent from the UK, but as Abby was already in Mexico he remained at home.

"It's just… odd," mused Connor in a puzzled tone.

"What's odd Connor?" asked Abby. As she listened to his tale of the days events, she narrowed her blue eyes.

The recurrent anomaly opening to the Permian from the Forest of Dean had reopened early that morning. The anomaly was locked quickly by the technical team, but it remained as a glowing shimmering ball lighting up the center of the menagerie.

"I checked the facility's video monitor just before you called… the anomaly here still appears locked, but… water's seeping through…" said Connor.

They looked at each other for a moment.

"Abby," asked Connor "has anyone taken a sample of the water around the anomaly?"

"I'll check with Reynaldo," Abby answered, referring to the onsite technical expert "and get back to you."

As Abby closed the laptop, she looked around the large tent. Adriana was nowhere to be seen, and Abby really didn't feel like eating lunch anyway. She wanted to find Reynaldo.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Reynaldo confirmed that a water analysis had been done, and directed her to Gisele. The chemist from the Switzerland office confirmed there were some unusual chemicals in the water… probably due to the environmental disaster six weeks previous.

"What?" asked Abby.

"Surely you remember," responded Gisele "the container ship that broke apart just north of here… spilled all sorts of fuel oil and the chemicals used for clean up…" The woman shook her head sadly.

Abby asked the woman to email the water analysis to Connor.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the medical tent, Abby found Luis with his hand neatly wrapped in white gauze. He was sitting in a chair reading a case file. She looked at him in surprise. Luis nodded in the direction of the medic.

"He won't let me go yet," grumbled Luis.

From the table where the medic was peering into a microscope, the young man nodded in agreement.

"Read the report," he said "therocephalians are known to have venom in their bite… the ictidosuchids, if that's what came through the anomaly, are related… and since you can't prove it was a leopard lizard I need to keep you a while for observation…"

Adriana entered the tent then carrying a small bundle wrapped in her soft tan jacket.

"She likes mangos," the young creature specialist said to Abby with a grin. To the medic, she added "This is the creature that bit Luis."

The medic asked Adriana to show him the creature's mouth. Her gentle touch got the creature to open wide. The lizard's mouth matched the indentations on Luis' hand. The medic sighed in relief. This was a lizard with a nasty bite, but it didn't appear to be venomous.

Turning to Luis, he said "The disinfectant I applied should be all you need. You can go now."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

As Abby walked outside the medical tent with Luis, she told him about the Permian anomaly in the Forest of Dean.

"I think Adriana will be able to help you with the creature retrieval here," said Abby "I should go back to England, yeah."

Luis looked at her gravely.

"It's not everyday we find someone like you," the team leader said "I'd rather have both of you here, but I understand."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	27. Future Predator in the Creature Preserve

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N refers to previous chapter and chapter 9 **

20.3-2 The Future Predator in the Creature Preserve

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby arrived at Heathrow thirty-six hours later. The drive from the encampment at Baja California to the airport had been long, but the idle time waiting between flight changes on the return trip had caused her trip home to be delayed. Her cell phone had been lost somewhere between the tent encampment and the first airport. Abby could only hope that Connor would be there to meet her. She had her passport stamped and went through customs. Declaring the gifts she had brought from Mexico took only a few extra minutes. She grabbed her carry on tote and was soon standing in the arrivals terminal looking for Connor.

He wasn't there.

She started to look for a call box when she realized that a soldier wearing the black uniform of the ARC's security team was approaching her. Abby turned her head to look at the young man. He stopped, snapping to attention.

"Ma'am," the young cadet said "Captain Becker sent me to get you."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby kept her jaw clenched tight as she followed the cadet out of the commercial airport terminal into the bright light of day. She didn't say a word when the young man handed her up into the London ARC's big SUV. When he drove the vehicle past the roadway turn off she realized he was taking her to the ministry's air terminal. A helicopter was waiting, rotors spinning. Bending her knees and keeping her head low as the young man directed, Abby was soon climbing into the helicopter. A familiar face greeted her.

"Jess," Abby asked anxiously, "what's going on? Why isn't Connor here?"

"Buckle up," ordered the pilot "so we can get going."

While Abby started strapping herself in to the seat, Jess started to explain.

Earlier this morning, as Abby was somewhere over the mid-Atlantic, more water started to pour through the Permian anomaly in the creature preserve at the Forest of Dean facility. Connor had asked to be notified of any changes, so Abby's assistant Taylor had called him.

Connor had already dropped the older children off at their schools, but Lizzie appeared to be coming down with a cold. He had kept the child with him intending to work from home today. But when Taylor called, he drove to the creature preserve. Connor had taken the four year old with him as he went to the herbivore containment area to inspect the changing anomaly.

While they were in the creature preserve, the anomaly had reopened. And something had come through triggering lockdown.

The security measures isolated the various buildings, and locked the individual containment areas in the carnivore section of the creature preserve. In the herbivore section, the containment fences had all been released. The hope was that the herbivores would be protected by the mammoth herd. Becker and his men had already gone to the Forest of Dean facility to aid in the containment of whatever creature had triggered the lockdown, but they couldn't get into the buildings or the creature preserve.

Abby shook her head in surprise. "Surely Connor or Beth should have been able to release lockdown?" she asked incredulously.

"Beth has tried repeatedly throughout the morning," replied Jess "Lockdown kept being reset… that's why I'm coming up now… to see if I can do anything..."

"What about Connor," asked Abby "and Lizzie…" her voice trailed off the expression on Jess' face.

"Abby," said Jess "we think they're still in the herbivore containment area… in the monitoring shed… Lizzie's definitely there, we can hear her voice. We think she's the one that keeps resetting lockdown."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The helicopter landed in the car park of the Forest of Dean facility. The two women got out and walked over to where Becker had set up a command post.

Beth was hurriedly typing commands on the laptop in front of her. The front door to the facility started to unlatch, it swung maybe half an inch forward, before snapping back shut with a resounding clank. Beth sighed in frustration.

The monitoring shed in the herbivore containment area was a small building, mainly used for storage and observation readings. It had a table, chair, computer and not much else.

Abby peered over Beth's shoulder. A sing-song refrain of a little girl's voice could be heard on the audio feed. "Is there a video feed?" she asked.

"Not to the inside of the monitoring shed," replied Beth as Jess sat down beside her. Jess took over the controls.

"I want to talk to Lizzie," said Abby. Pointing at the car park monitoring camera she asked "Can you show her my image from that camera?"

"Yes," said Jess.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In a matter of minutes, Abby's voice and image were being sent to the computer in the monitoring shed. The sing-song chant stopped.

"Mummy!"

"Lizzie," said Abby quietly "I want you to stop messing about with the computer so I can come get you."

"But Da said…"

"Where's your father?" asked Abby "I want to speak to him."

"Da's outside," the little girl sniffed "with the bad thing."

"What's the bad thing?"

"The ugly bug."

Abby swallowed. "Jess," she said "I'll need you to send a slow bass audio signal through the complex… set it to repeat."

"What?" asked Jess as she reached to adjust various settings and controls.

Becker looked at Abby. "What's this about?" he asked.

Abby looked at him. "Connor's lab has files, with small pictures of the creatures," she explained "the one Lizzie calls the ugly bug… it's a future predator."

She picked up a gun from the weapons on the table and an ear bud. "Lizzie, don't touch the computer," she said "Mummy's coming."

The front door to the facility started to unlatch, it swung open. Abby, Becker and a contingent of soldiers entered the facility.

"Jess," said Abby "lock each door after we go through."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

At the entrance to the herbivore containment area, they found the first of the future predators. One of Elton's offspring, a Columbian mammoth named Junior, appeared to have been responsible for its demise. Both creatures were dead.

Abby, Becker and the soldiers continued down the walkway to the monitoring shed. A second future predator was in pieces in front of the shed. The female mammoth gave a groan at the sight of Abby and tried to lift her head. Behind the creature a smaller mammoth gave a snort.

Becker spoke into his communication device. "There are two dead predators... no sign of any more. Jess, I'll need you to lift lockdown."

Abby chimed in, "Taylor… Junior's dead and Lady E's hurt… we'll need the vet for her, but Snuffy sounds fine. I need Lady E moved so we can get to the door of the monitoring shed."

A human sounding moan came from behind the young mammoth.

"A little help here," the voice called "can't breathe with a mammoth leaning on me."

"Connor!"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

That evening, after the children were all in bed Abby asked Connor what on earth he'd been thinking of… taking their daughter into the creature preserve with an open anomaly.

"The anomaly wasn't open," Connor protested "when we went in to the herbivore containment area… you take the children there all the time."

Abby sniffed. "We were lucky today," she said shuddering at the memory of finding Connor blocking the door to the monitoring shed. If Snuffy hadn't sat down almost on top of him… if Lady E hadn't fought the predator… so many ifs.

"Connor," asked Abby as she picked her hairbrush off the dresser top and pulled it through her hair "what was it you told Lizzie when you put her in the monitoring shed?"

"I didn't put her in the monitoring shed," replied Connor "we were in it together when the anomaly opened… I came out… told her to lock it."

Connor shrugged. "I meant the door… but me laptop was there and open… guess she thought I meant everything."

"I wasn't going to let that thing get Lizzie," continued Connor.

Abby wondered if he knew it wasn't just Lizzie she had been worried about.

"Connor," Abby asked "how does a four year old manage to keep the entire facility locked, even when both your sister and Jess are trying to open it?"

"Not sure," replied Connor "me laptop has higher clearance access than either Beth or Jess'… but really, Lizzie's brilliant… she beats me at video games all the time."

"Connor," exclaimed Abby "she's too young for video games!" She set the hairbrush down and turned to climb up into the bed beside him.

"I'm glad you're back," sighed Connor contentedly as she stretched out next to him "was beginning to think they were going to keep you in Baja forever."

"The team in Mexico…," replied Abby "they got another lizard girl… she's wonderful really… they didn't need me."

Connor's brown eyes opened wide at her statement. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled Abby close.

"Abby," breathed Connor "there's no one in the world like you."


	28. Michael's Funeral

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N refers to Silver Anniversary chapter 16**

21.5 Michael's Funeral

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby clicked the television news show off angrily.

"I don't know why the government keeps talking about unnamed terrorists," she hissed. "I was there… I know… it was Helen..."

"The minister must have his reasons," commented Connor distractedly as he fumbled in his top dresser drawer "might not want to scare people by letting them know a madwoman is trying to destroy the world."

He held up two ties in his hand and turned to face Abby.

"Which one?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"No," said the older woman firmly.

"But Mum," stammered Connor "they're… they're too young… they shouldn't have to go…"

"Lizzie is the only one that's younger than Beth was," his mother reminded him gently "when she had to go to your father's funeral."

Connor looked at his mother in shock.

"Connor, I know a bit about losing a husband too soon," his mother said sadly. "Funerals aren't for the dead, they're for the living. Jenny and her children will need all their friends… to get through this."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"What?" asked Abby in surprise.

"Mum said no," repeated Connor.

In the twelve years since their oldest daughter Sarah had been born, this was the first time his Mother had refused to watch their children.

"She said that Jenny will need all of us there," he continued "the funeral's not until Tuesday… do you want to see if we can get your brother or maybe Taylor to watch them?"

"No," said Abby thoughtfully "your Mum might be right… I was thinking of sparing our children… but really… going to the funeral is about supporting Jenny, Jamie and Michelle… we should all be there."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Tuesday night Connor took off the narrow black tie and shoved it angrily into his dresser drawer.

"Children shouldn't have to go to funerals," he said. "I didn't go to my own father's… I hate funerals."

"Connor," Abby reminded him "you weren't even out of the hospital when your father's funeral occurred. You couldn't have been there!"

"I'm just saying," he continued "I hate funerals… Tom's was the first one I went to…"

"Yeah," she whispered softly, stepping close to him, reaching her small hand up to the side of his face, "I remember… I was there."

_Cutter had asked her to come, Abby remembered. _

_The professor had stayed with Connor, standing with Connor's Mum and sister during the service. Abby had stayed farther back. She hadn't wanted to get close to the grief stricken family and friends of the young man who had frightened her so, but she had listened. The eulogy described a son, a brother, a friend… someone to be missed. After the funeral concluded, Cutter had said he had a lift into town, he would return to London by train. _

"_Stay with him Abby," the Scot had pleaded "he needs a friend today."_

_She and Connor had walked together, finally finding themselves atop the hill overlooking the town below. _

"_Me father's buried over there," Connor had told her pointing to one side._

"_I don't know where my parents are buried," Abby replied "or if they were buried… they might have been cremated." At his questioning look, Abby had explained. Her parents had died years ago when she was only six. There had been no other adult relatives, no money… they were probably buried in a pauper's grave somewhere… but she really didn't know. _

Connor looked at her now, as he had then, his brown eyes dark and full of sorrow.

"I remember…," he said "don't think I could have got through Tom's funeral… if you and Cutter hadn't been there… today though… reminded me of Stephen's funeral."

"No anomaly alert," she replied with a small smile.

"No… I meant… with all of us there…," Connor mumbled "not like Cutter's…"

_Cutter had been cremated, Abby remembered. Connor, Abby, and Jenny, had gone together to the funeral parlor to pay their respects. They were met by Lester and an elderly woman, grieving for the loss of her only niece's husband._

"_Helen's body was never found," the old woman sniffed, dabbing her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief, "and now Nick is gone too…"_

_Connor had been appalled at the idea of Helen's mad old Aunt keeping Cutter's ashes in an urn on her fireplace mantle, but Jenny had been the one to put it into perspective._

"_She's a lonely old woman," said Jenny "don't begrudge her whatever solace this might give her."_

Abby wrapped her arms around Connor now, as she had then, pulling him into the warmth of her embrace, whispering words of comfort in his ear.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	29. Lester's Retirement

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

A/N refers to chapter 2

21.5 Lester's Retirement

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby opened the cream colored envelope. Formal invitations sent by ground mail were a rarity these days. Most correspondence was done by email. She smiled when she read the card inside.

"Connor," she said looking across the living room at her husband, "we've been invited to the Lester's retirement party.''

"Yeah," replied Connor "it will be great to see everyone… under better circumstances."

Lester hadn't been the same since Helen's invasion into the ARC a couple of months ago. The attack, and Michael's funeral, had taken something out of the man. When his annual physical came around, the doctor said something about a heart murmur and recommended he retire.

Vivian Lester had been the one to finally convince the great man that it was indeed time to step down. His assistant Lucien was more than capable of handling the International Anomaly Research Center. In fact, Vivian informed James, she was retiring too… she thought she'd like to travel… see the world… you can come too James, if you like.

And of course, James Lester would follow Vivian anywhere.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lucien, and his assistants, had gone all out for Lester's retirement party. A very posh London restaurant had been booked. Guests came from all over the world, and thankfully speeches had been kept to a minimum. In short, the party had been wonderful. But it was winding down now, most of the guests were gone. Connor and Abby made their way across the large banquet room to the Lester's table for their goodbyes.

"Lester," began Connor "we just wanted to wish you…"

Abby looked at Connor in surprise. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I mean… really," he stammered "it just won't be the same…"

Lester rose from his chair to stand facing Connor and Abby. The table between them was reminiscent of his office desk so long ago.

"This isn't the end of everything you know," said Lester "we're just moving on to a different chapter of our lives now."

"Yeah," said Connor with a crooked smile "we'll still see you and Mrs. Lester… and of course Gail's working at the London ARC now… and…"

He was babbling again realized Abby with a chuckle. She reached out a hand to clasp her fingers around Connor's hand.

"Connor," Abby said "shut up."

Abby and Connor made their farewells and started to turn, but Lester spoke again.

"Wait a minute…" he said patting his suit pockets "I've got something for you."

Lester pulled out a small folded piece of blue lined paper.

"There it is," he said with a satisfied air. He held the paper out towards Connor.

"What is it?"

"Cutter's third prediction," replied Lester "really, I should have given it to you fifteen years ago… but, it's been a bit busy… and it's not like it's expected any time soon… if anything opens at all."

Abby remembered Cutter's first prediction had been for an anomaly to open in a grand old Tudor style house, but hadn't specified when. That was where she, Jenny and Connor had first met Danny. That anomaly had a most peculiar creature incursion. The camouflage beast as she remembered it wasn't something found in a paleontology book. The creature was more the stuff of fiction Connor had always claimed. Maybe, if Sarah had lived, she would have been able to determine the origins of the creature. Her studies on myths and legends had been invaluable to Cutter in his creation of the first anomaly map.

Cutter's second prediction had been more specific. An anomaly was supposed to open in Hyde Park… the date was three days after she, Danny and Connor had disappeared chasing Helen through the race track anomaly. Lester believed in Cutter's work enough that he had a team stationed in Hyde Park waiting… hoping the anomaly was going to bring them all back from whenever they had disappeared to, but nothing had come of it.

Cutter's third prediction was written on the piece of blue lined paper Lester now passed carefully to Connor.

"It's in your hands now," said Lester with an arch look "Do be careful… wouldn't want Lucien to have to write up any accident reports."

"Lester," exclaimed Connor looking at the date written on the paper "that's not for another fourteen years."

"Then you'll have plenty of time to get ready," replied Lester.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	30. Cutter's Third Prediction

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

**A/N after Silver Anniversary ch 26**

35.5 Cutter's Third Prediction

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

It was late. Out of habit, Abby let herself quietly into the small house. Really though, she thought, she could have made as much noise as she wanted. It wasn't like she was going to wake anyone.

Dinner with Edie and Duncan had been lovely. It had been nice to talk, share old memories, share memories of Connor. Getting out of London had been a good decision. London and the Forest of Dean held too many memories. Here, she was close to friends. Here she could make new memories.

She set the keys on the table by the door and walked across the living room to her bedroom. As she entered the room, Abby reached for the lamp on the bedside table. In the warm yellow lamplight, the old furniture she and Connor had bought so long ago faced her. She stared at Connor's dresser. When she moved, she had sent each of the children something from their home… but Abby had kept Connor's dresser.

Abby crossed the room to caress her hand gently over the dark wooden surface of the bulky piece of furniture. It had been packed entire and brought with her to her new home She took a deep breath. She could do this, she knew she could. Abby pulled the top dresser drawer open a few inches.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The jumbled up clothing was crammed inside just as Connor had left it. Abby pulled the drawer open further. A dark brown fedora was scrunched in the right hand corner of the drawer. How had that got shoved in here Abby wondered.

She pulled the hat out of the drawer and began to press the felt, shaping it with her fingers. When she finally got the fedora to look reasonably like a hat again, Abby smiled. The she sat the hat on her head. It was a little big for her, so she tilted it back farther before reaching into Connor's drawer again. She found a pair of old gray, fingerless gloves. She held them up to her face… Abby closed her eyes and breathed deeply. No scent of Connor lingered on the gloves, but as she slipped her hands inside them, she remembered the touch of his hands on her face. Abby reached into the drawer once more. She pushed the socks to one side, along with a narrow black tie, and then her fingers touched a large manila envelope.

Abby froze. Oh. She had forgotten. The hospital had given her Connor's effects. She had shoved the envelope in his dresser drawer under his clothing never wanting to see it again.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby sat sprawled across the bed and carefully pulled back the folded metal clasp from the hole, lifting the flap on the envelope. She turned the envelope over and spilled the contents between her legs.

The keys and a long keychain rattled as they landed in a lumpy pile on the smooth floral roses imprinted on the bedspread. Abby heard another small metallic plinking noise, then the soft plop of Connor's leather wallet landing, covering everything. She moved the wallet and stared, her blue eyes filling with tears. Connor's wedding ring. She hadn't realized the hospital had taken it off of him.

Abby picked up his ring, turning it slowly in her hand. It was too big to ever stay on her slender fingers. Abby picked up the key chain and started taking keys off, one by one, the house key, the car key, the office key and several smaller keys that must have belonged to Connor's desk and various cabinets. When she finally had the chain cleared of all the keys, Abby ran the chain through Connor's ring and then hooked the two ends together. Taking the battered old fedora off for a brief moment, she slipped the chain over her head. As Connor's ring dangled from the chain now around her neck, she put the hat back on and opened up the wallet.

Some folding money, his government ID, a library card and driver's license were carefully arranged in slots on one side of the wallet. A ticket for the dry cleaners was pressed in the middle, and on the other side were pictures, lots of pictures. Abby smiled as she leaned back against the bed pillows and began turning through the pictures.

Their grandson. Tommy and Rosie with little Connor. Abby holding the baby. Sarah and Jamie's wedding picture. Abby zipping up Sarah in her wedding dress. A family picture taken the same day with all of them. Abby continued to turn through the pictures.

There was one of her and Lizzie in the kitchen, cake batter everywhere. Another of Abby and Nick back to back comparing their height, both of them were laughing. A picture of Amelia dressed for a dance with that boy she had liked back in year eleven. Tommy on a bicycle. Sarah sitting on the steps at secondary school. Abby and Taylor at the creature preserve. Duncan and Edie at the opening of Edie's yoga studio. Amelia and Tommy together on their first day of primary school. Becker and Jess on their wedding day. Little Nicky reaching out to grab Jack by his nose. Lizzie in a stroller. Jenny and her family on a picnic blanket. More baby pictures. Beth at her graduation. Abby and Rex. A team picture from long ago which included both Sarah and Cutter. Abby with Sid and Nancy. More pictures of Abby. Tom, Duncan and Connor together laughing. Another picture of Abby. A picture of Connor's Mum, his father, Beth and Connor as a boy.

And a folded piece of blue lined paper.

Abby drew the paper out of Connor's wallet and looked at it in recognition. It was the same folded piece of paper Lester had given Connor so long ago at Lester's retirement party. It had to be Cutter's third prediction.

She unfolded the paper. Cutter's third prediction was specific to date, time and location.

Abby looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. If she left now, she could be at the Forest of Dean in plenty of time. She scooped up all of Connor's loose keys and slipped them back into the manila envelope… might need them. She jumped off the bed and headed for the front door, grabbing her keys as she went.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

There had been virtually no traffic as Abby drove through the night. She arrived at the ARC's facility near the Forest of Dean before dawn. Abby sauntered through the main doors as if she was expected to be there. The team coordinator on duty for the night shift look slightly surprised to see her. She must have made quite a picture in Connor's hat and gloves, but when Abby had demanded to know where the sick mammoth was, the man had hurriedly pointed her in the direction of the creature preserve. As Abby had started to walk off, he had called her back. Handing her an ear bud he reminded her to keep in touch.

Abby walked down the hallway and turned to the right. Instead of continuing straight on she stopped at the first door and reached for Connor's office keys. She inserted the key into the lock… it was Jatin's office now, not Connor's, but the key still worked. Abby stepped inside and began unlocking the cabinets, searching for the tools she needed.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby told herself she was being foolish. She should call for backup. Just because Lester had told Connor that Cutter's last prediction was in his hands didn't mean she had to take it upon herself to deal with the anomaly on her own. But here she was, walking down the pathways in the creature preserve, alone.

Early morning light was starting to appear over the crest of the hill in front of her. What had once been a housing development was now grazing land for the mammoth herd. The address Cutter had given in his prediction was once the home of a boy who loved lizards. The handheld anomaly detector in Abby's hand started to beep. Abby turned and walked closer to the small anomaly, carefully setting down the other equipment she carried.

The anomaly was pulsing quietly. There was no sign of a creature incursion. Abby began to open the case of the miniaturized anomaly locking device. She unfolded the bent metal legs of the device, hooked up the brightly colored diffuser, flipped levers and switches as Connor had done so many times before.

The locking mechanism was ready, but Abby paused. The anomaly was still quiet. Abby picked up the dating and location calculator and pointed it at the small shimmering ball on the ground in front of her.

The dating and location calculator showed the address for the old ARC, and a date that was seared in Abby's memory. That was the day Professor Cutter had been killed.

In her ear bud, she heard the team coordinator frantically calling her. "Ma'am there's an active anomaly open in the mammoth grazing area… security is on its way, but you need to get out of there."

She ignored the man.

Abby knelt in front of the anomaly. The metal keychain around her neck lifted towards the anomaly. Abby looked at Connor's wedding ring dangling there in front of her, backlit by the glow of the anomaly. She thought she heard something. It wouldn't hurt to just look, right? She thrust her head, neck and shoulders into the shimmering, fractured light and found herself looking at a room in the old ARC.

She recognized the room right away. It was the supply room. Looking up on the table, Abby could see the old black survival backpacks set up for restocking. The door to the room was wide open. Abby heard the muffled sound of an explosion, shouts, footsteps running. Across the hall, the janitor's supply cart was propped up against the door to the gentlemen's lavatory. Stacks of paper towels and dozens of foil packets were sitting atop the cart ready to be inserted into the corresponding dispensers hanging open on the wall above.

Abby could almost hear Connor… "If you go back in time, something will change," but she also remembered his theory about the anomaly tourists… "I think some of them are supposed to go through."

Was she supposed to go through… to change something… or not?

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The time stream wobbled on.

A/N… You decide.

There are so many different Primeval universes. I've enjoyed reading the many and varied stories of Primeval on this website. Hope you enjoyed reading yet one more variation. Thank you.


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